A day long interactive technical session was held today at Mini Secretariat Shopian in view of the recent outbreak of the viral disease in cattle population across the country.The session was conducted by the Task Force constituted by the government in collaboration with the Chief Animal Husbandry Officer Shopian and was attended by Block Veterinary Officer Keller and all the Veterinary Assistant Surgeons working in district Shopian.
The experts discussed the current status of the spread of the disease and laid out the strategies to prevent the further spread of the infection.Prof Altaf Bhat, Head of the Department of Microbiology at FVSc &AH (SKUAST-Kashmir) and Head of the Taskforce, expressed satisfaction regarding the current modus operandi of the Animal Husbandry Department of the District in preventing the spread of the disease.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ishrat Shakil, Deputy Director Institute of Animal Health and Biological Products Srinagar, advised the veterinarians to abide by the SOPs in the field to maximize the impact of efforts being made to curb the disease.
Dr. Anjum Andrabi, Block Veterinary Officer Batapora Srinagar and member of the Task Force, discussed the protocols for identifying and designating epicenter, infected areas, protection and surveillance zones and suggested ways to prevent the spread of infection based on the unique topography of the hill district.
The Veterinary Assistant Surgeons raised queries and concerns which were duly addressed by the team of experts.Dr. Altaf Hussain Masoodi, Chief Animal Husbandry Officer Shopian, intimated the visiting team that the staff is leaving no stone unturned in identifying, reporting, sampling of the suspected cases and the timely treatment of affected animals besides raising awareness regarding the management practices to be adopted by the livestock farmers to protect their herd from this viral disease.