Special camps to vaccinate 2.88 lakh livestock against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) will be held across the district from December 29, 2025 to January 28, 2026.
A release from District Collector S. Kandasamy said that, as a preventive measure to protect livestock from foot-and-mouth disease, the Department of Animal Husbandry is implementing a district-wide vaccination programme under the National Livestock Disease Control Programme. Livestock plays a crucial role in rural development and serves as a major source of additional income for farmers. The disease continues to be one of the most serious challenges faced by livestock rearers, as it results in heavy economic and production losses. It commonly affects cattle and buffaloes, leading to a sharp decline in milk production in milch animals, disruption of conception, reduced working efficiency of bulls, and an increase in calf mortality.
To prevent outbreaks, the department is providing free vaccination to all cattle and buffaloes with 100 per cent coverage. As part of this initiative, the eighth round of FMD vaccination will be carried out in the district during 2025–26.
The vaccination drive will cover all hamlets, revenue villages, town panchayats, municipalities and municipal Corporation areas in the district. As many as 114 vaccination teams have been formed, and around 2.88 lakh livestock are expected to be vaccinated during the campaign.
To ensure uninterrupted vaccination, 3.26 lakh doses of FMD vaccine have been procured and safely stored in the Walk-in Cool Room of the Animal Disease Intelligence Unit of the Erode District Animal Husbandry Department.
The Collector has appealed to livestock farmers to utilise the vaccination camps and ensure timely vaccination to safeguard their animals from the disease.
Published – December 25, 2025 06:48 pm IST
