Manipur vaccinates over 5 lakh livestock free to prevent major animal diseases

Imphal: The Manipur government has vaccinated a total of 5,17,855 domesticated animals free of cost during the period from November 1, 2024, to November 5, 2025, a senior official of the Department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry (DV&AH), Government of Manipur, said on Thursday.

Domesticated animals are being vaccinated to prevent disease, protect public health from zoonotic diseases (those that spread between animals and humans), and ensure the well-being and economic stability of livestock. Vaccines stimulate an animal's immune system to build protection against specific infectious agents without causing the illness itself.

The state veterinary department has been implementing vaccination against major livestock diseases, including Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD), Classical Swine Fever (CSF), Rabies, Black Quarter (BQ), Hemorrhagic Septicemia (HS), Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), Brucellosis, and Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) at no cost to livestock owners.

Director of the DV&AH, R.K. Khagendrajit Singh, stated that his department has vaccinated a total of 65,066 livestock against FMD, a vaccine used to control and prevent foot-and-mouth disease—a contagious illness affecting cloven-hoofed animals like cattle, sheep, and pigs. A total of 1,38,428 anti-rabies vaccines were also administered following the reported death of eight people due to rabies in the state.

The department is currently undertaking the sixth round of vaccinations: 1,00,440 CSF (second round), 17,168 PPR (second round), 40,665 Brucellosis, 34,795 HS, 60,524 BQ, and 60,769 LSD.

The director added that since no vaccine exists for African Swine Fever (ASF), the only effective preventive measure is strict biosecurity, which he described as the best tool for controlling the disease.