Outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease worries Pulwama sheep breeders

Jahangeer Ganaie

Pulwama, May 21 : The highly contagious Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) has struck sheep in multiple villages of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, causing concern among breeders.

Residents of various Pulwama villages, including Chandgam Nownagri, Wasoora, Tahab and adjoining areas, reported the outbreak to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

They said the viral disease had infected many sheep in these areas, after which the concerned department deployed teams for vaccination and treatment.

According to sheep breeders, the affected animals exhibit high temperatures, followed by the development of blisters primarily in the mouth and on the feet. While FMD is not typically fatal in adult animals, it can be deadly for young ones and causes severe pain and distress, particularly in cattle. Infected animals may become permanently lame.

Signs of FMD in sheep include sudden, severe lameness, frequent lying down, reluctance to rise, and a half-crouching stance with hind legs brought forward. Blisters may appear on the hoof where the horn meets the skin, extending around the coronet and in the foot's cleft. When these blisters burst, the horn may separate from the underlying tissues, and hair around the hoof may appear damp. Blisters can also form on the dental pad and sometimes the tongue.

Breeders said fatalities have been reported, and they are urging authorities to take immediate action to control the disease.

Officials said the virus is present in large quantities in the fluid from blisters and can also be found in saliva, milk, dung and respired air. Contamination of objects with these discharges poses a danger to other livestock, they said, adding that infected animals begin excreting the virus a few days before showing symptoms.

The authorities have advised the breeders not to panic but to follow their advisory meticulously.

According to the advisory, infected animals should be isolated to prevent the spread of the disease and kept clean. It added that breeders must contact veterinarians, who may recommend washing the animals’ mouths and feet with boroglycerine and using appropriate analgesics.

Affected animals should not be mixed with healthy ones, and the latter should be vaccinated to prevent FMD, the advisory notes.

The advisory issued by the District Administration Pulwama advises breeders to separate infected animals from healthy ones, restrict animal movement, vaccinate healthy animals for FMD, spray 4% sodium bicarbonate solution around farm premises to curb the spread, wash/rinse ulcerated vesicles in the mouth and hooves with 1% potassium permanganate solution, provide infected animals with green leafy grasses/vegetables to encourage feeding and consult a local veterinarian for the treatment of infected animals.

They advised breeders not to panic, as FMD causes very low mortality in sheep and goats, adding, “They should avoid grazing at common places, prevent mixing animals from affected and unaffected villages, ensure the same person does not handle both infected and healthy animals, and minimize unnecessary contact with livestock.”