Lumpy Skin Disease Vaccine Import
LSD in Punjab – Devastating Situation in Punjab, who is opposing Lumpy Skin Disease Vaccine Import! | لمپی سکن، پنجاب میں تباہی ۔۔ ویکسین امپورٹ میں رکاوٹ کون؛
جانوروں کو ٹیکے لگانے کا ہدف بروقت مکمل کرنے کی ہدایت
The performance of the Sindh Livestock Department as well as the Sindh government in controlling Lumpy Skin Disease has been remarkable and effective. Although overall, we do not tolerate praise for the Sindh government and whenever it does something good, we start searching for pests using special lenses, but in the case of Lumpy, we will have to tolerate a little.
Sindh Government active against LSD
When this disease, which came in October 2021, began to emerge openly in March 2022 and it became difficult for the relevant institutions to hide and ignore it, then the Sindh Livestock Department faced the facts on this occasion. The senior officers of the department acknowledged the presence of the disease in a timely manner and started taking steps against it.
Initially, when this disease started spreading in Sindh, the political machinery of Sindh was busy with a big political activity. I planned to contact the provincial minister on my return from political activity and ask him to personally get active in this regard, but there was no need for it. The Sindh Provincial Minister for Livestock himself became active and the Sindh Livestock Department also became active.
Vaccine for Lumpy Skin Diseases
Work started under the leadership of Dr. Nazir Hussain Kalhoro and very soon it was decided to order the imported vaccine. Along with the Chief Minister of Sindh, the Finance Ministry also deserves praise that funds were released immediately after the approval of the summary without any hindrance. DRAP should also be grateful that permission was granted for import.
The efforts of the Ministry of National Food Security and Research and the Animal Husbandry Commissioner’s Office regarding vaccine import are also commendable. The vaccine arrived, the series of vaccinations started in Sindh and the disease was controlled to a considerable extent. Although in small quantities, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan also bought Lumpy’s foreign vaccine.
As for the question that the vaccine was allegedly being sold in the market, the Sindh government should investigate this and if there is systematic corruption somewhere, it should be controlled and those responsible should be punished. But prima facie, it is not possible that the system is like this.
LSD in Punjab
If we talk about Punjab, although the Livestock Department here initially allegedly denied the presence of the disease and an attempt was made to make an example of the officer who reported it, after some time, when pressure increased, the department became active by acknowledging the disease.
The Livestock Department of Punjab prepared its emergency plan and mobilized the staff to implement it. The department’s communication department took timely steps regarding the consumption of milk and meat of the affected animal and doubts about the disease. The department increased the production of goatpox vaccine at the Veterinary Research Institute and the field staff diligently started applying this vaccine in place of lumpy skin as per international guidelines. On the occasion of Eid, the staff of the department remained active and were seen active from the lowest staff to the highest officers at the markets and check posts.
The disease has wreaked havoc in South Punjab and is now spreading beyond Central Punjab. Although the department remained active on the occasion of Eid, the movement of large numbers of animals could have been the reason for the spread of the disease. The further effects of this spread are likely to come to the fore in the next few days with intensity.
Silence on Lumpy Skin Disease
If the criminal silence had not been maintained in October 2021 and vaccination had been done at that time, Punjab could have been saved from this disaster. Further, in March 2022, when the presence of the disease was recognized at the federal level, if the Punjab Livestock Department had taken effective measures at that time and the vaccine had been imported and administered in a timely manner like Sindh, the recent disaster in South Punjab could have been avoided.
There is still time, a large part of Punjab can be saved from the disaster. The Livestock Department should immediately import the vaccine and carry out large-scale vaccination, especially in those areas where the disease has not reached or is relatively low, so that the animals can be saved from further spread of the disease.
Vaccine Production for Lumpy Skin Disease
As far as the question of the Veterinary Research Institute’s vaccine is concerned, this institution is not preparing the lumpy vaccine but the goatpox vaccine for lumpy after necessary modifications in accordance with the international guidelines. On the other hand, work is also underway on the lumpy skin vaccine.
If it is provisionally accepted that the performance of the department’s capripox vaccine is very good, then this vaccine is also not available in sufficient quantity to save the livestock of Punjab. Although the Veterinary Research Institute has increased its production, it is still difficult to obtain the required quantity.
Local Production vs Import
An impression is given that the Veterinary Research Institute Lahore is an obstacle to importing the vaccine, while the facts are the opposite. According to reliable sources, the Veterinary Research Institute clearly said that the production of such a large quantity of instant vaccine is difficult. There are resource problems for this. Therefore, the Veterinary Research Institute has recommended importing the instant lumpy skin disease vaccine for four to five months to avoid further devastation. On the other hand, the Extension Wing of the Livestock Department has opposed this and is calling for an increase in its production, declaring the goatpox vaccine effective.
When the Livestock Department itself is against the import of the vaccine and the officers in closed rooms oppose the import of the vaccine among themselves, then the provision of resources by the government cannot be blamed. When the Veterinary Research Institute is recommending the import of the vaccine in the committee.
A national emergency is likely to be declared in Pakistan. The solution to further prevent this disease is that the federal and provincial governments should immediately release funds and import the vaccine and apply it on a large scale so that livestock can be protected in areas where this disease has not reached. On the other hand, steps should be taken at the local level for the vaccine for lumpy skin disease.
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