Controlling foot and mouth disease in Pakistan
Foot and mouth disease (FMD) is the most prevalent and economically important infectious disease of livestock in Pakistan. The project aimed to develop a national FMD control program and control FMD outbreaks, improve the livelihood of livestock farmers, curtail the losses caused by the disease and improve overall productivity of livestock.
What did the project do
A national FMD program for Pakistan was designed. The capacities of public and private sector veterinary staff were strengthened through training courses in FMD outbreak control and sample collection. Veterinary diagnostic labs were also improved. All reported outbreaks were controlled by restricting the mobility of animals, treating sick animals and using ring vaccination. The use of a good-quality vaccine was promoted for the prevention of FMD outbreaks in high-risk areas like dairy colonies and milk sheds. Dairy farmers were provided with the vaccine, and no clinical cases of FMD were reported in the vaccinated animals after the booster dose application.Impact
FMD was effectively controlled through the use of a quality-assured vaccine containing appropriate FMD virus strains, ultimately improving food security in Pakistan. Specifically, veterinary institutions and the capacities of staff were enhanced in order to accurately report on and respond to FMD outbreaks with a good-quality vaccination. For dairy farmers in Pakistan, FMD has been a constant problem because the disease has caused losses in milk production and because of the cost of treatment. Haji Sikandar Nagori, the President of the Dairy Farmers Association in Karachi, said that this is the first time in over 50 years that FMD in the Karachi dairy colonies has been effectively controlled.Activities
- A national FMD control programme document was formulated in consultation with all stakeholders. The FMD control program has been approved by the Government of Pakistan.
- Nine diagnostic laboratories were strengthened and provided with expendables.
- Two training courses were organized to update the knowledge of scientific staff on the latest developments in diagnosing FMD.
- 533 government veterinarians, 477 government veterinary assistants, 55 senior government veterinary officials, 486 veterinary students and faculty members and 57 staff members of private dairy companies were trained.
- The field veterinary staff responded to all reported outbreaks according to the standard operating procedures (SOP) developed by the project, and 111 475 animals were provided emergency vaccination.
- A good-quality FMD vaccine was provided to dairy farmers on a cost-sharing basis.
- Two studies were carried out: the first during the initial phase of vaccination and the second after vaccination. These studies showed that clinical FMD can be effectively controlled by use of good quality vaccine in FMD hotspot like dairy colonies in Karachi.
Project symbol: TCP/PAK/3503
Project title: Development of national control program for foot and mouth disease in Pakistan
Contact: FAO Office in Pakistan / Katinka De Balogh (Lead Technical Officer)
Download PDF: http://www.fao.org/3/a-bt823e.pdf