FAO Launches Animal Vaccination Campaign In NMDs

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Thursday launched animal vaccination campaign in newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with support from British Department for International Development (DFID)

PESHAWAR, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 24th Sep, 2020 ) :Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Thursday launched animal vaccination campaign in newly merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with support from British Department for International Development (DFID).

According to the press release the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with Livestock and Dairy Development Department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administered Foot & Mouth Disease Vaccines (FMDV) and Peste des petits ruminants' vaccines (PPRV) in newly merged districts. 2, 75000 doses of FMD vaccines are being administered for small and large ruminants in Kurram, Orakzai, Khyber and South and North Waziristan.

Carpet vaccination against PPR is also being carried out through 2 million doses of PPR vaccines for small ruminants. The campaign is administered at free medical veterinary camps under thorough observation of SOPs against spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

"-97% of population in the merged districts is rural, their livelihood is based on agriculture and subsistence-level use of natural resources.

Livestock often presents a family's entire live savings, the buffer between absolute poverty and survival.

Livestock also tends to be the living cash machines of poor households, it provides them resilience, economic security and happiness," said Waleed Mahdi, International Coordinator FAO - Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

FAO is working in close collaboration with the Livestock and Dairy Development Department of KPMDs to strengthen capacities and improve livestock services in the area. Vaccination campaigns are part of the activities that will support control, and eradication of diseases in animals.

The organization is also providing animal health services to the livestock farmers through timely vaccination against common animal diseases in merged districts.

Healthy animals, free of diseases and worms have increased production, resulting in increased food security and livelihoods of the poor communities.

The campaign will raise awareness of the importance of vaccination in health of animals and as a result of people too as 390,000 households will benefit from vaccination campaign including 300,000 from PPR and 90,000 from FMD doses of vaccine for their animals.