In order to save state cattle from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD), Tamil Nadu's Vellore district has started vaccination of all cattle against FMD across all district.

The programme will go on till September 21, 2016. As on September 4, 2016, over 30,000 cattle has been covered under the vaccination programme.

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry, Vellore plans to vaccinate over 550,000 cattle in the 11th round of the vaccination drive.

Speaking to a national daily, T. Manoharan, deputy director and specialist, Department of Animal Husbandry, Vellore said that 133 teams have been formed comprising a veterinary assistant surgeon, a cattle inspector and an animal husbandry assistant.

These teams will visit each village on a specific date in the district and vaccinate the animal.

Doctors operating at milk producers cooperative societies would also assist these teams.

Asking why, this drive has been started, the animal husbandry official said that cattle diagonesd with FMD become unproductive and their milk production also decreases heavily.

The animal will not be in a position to maintain its own body temperature and will suffer from hyperthermia. Very importantly, the disease cause huge economic loss to farmers.

The symptoms of the disease included rise in temperature, lack of feed, incomplete/complete cessation of milk yield and there would be vesicles on the animal.