SOPORE: Foot and mouth disease (FMD) has broken out in several villages of Zaingir area of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, resulting in the death of dozens of domestic animals.
Local people of Botingo, Warpora, Watlab and others said that from past several weeks FMD killed dozens of animals including cows, sheep and goats in the area, but the concerned department animal husbandry yet not took any step to control the disease.
Abdul Hamid a local said that he lost three domestic animals due to the disease in part two weeks, he said that it was broke out around two months ago and then a team of doctors visited few places and a vaccination was started, but they only vaccinate few animals and told us that there is shortage of vaccine, later we visited their office so many times but they not paid any attention, resulting the viral disease spread in overall Zaingir area and dozens of animals died while hundreds other are infected battling for life, he added.
The people said that after the concerned department failed to vaccinate, the people called private doctors who only provide first aid to our animals which could not control the disease.
Now they have appealed higher officials of the department to take immediate steps and control this viral disease.
An official of the animal husbandry department said that they completed the vaccination around a month ago and we also provide medicine to farmers for their animal, but we assure that we will again visit the area and will see the ground situation, if it is true we will provide them more medicine.

Reader correspondent