Visiting the ‘Mixed Infection’ disease-affected Raike Kalan village in Bathinda district, Punjab Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian, on Sunday directed Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Showkat Ahmad Parray to conduct a survey regarding death of animals. 

The Minister said that as many as ten teams — each team comprises three members — have been formed to tackle the disease. Out of 10 teams, five teams are for treatment, two teams for sampling, two teams for night duty and one team has been deputed at the Veterinary Hospital, Raike Kalan.

Giving assurances of every possible support from the state government, Khudian said that the Punjab Government is standing by its livestock farmers in this difficult time and teams have been deputed to monitor the situation round the clock, and the state will bear all the cost incurred on treatment of the affected livestock.

He informed that a control-room has been set up at Raike Kalan Dharamshala, besides, operationalizing a district level control-room at the office of Deputy Director Animal Husbandry, Bathinda, where two teams have been deputed under the supervision of senior officers of the Animal Husbandry Department.

Animal Husbandry director Dr Gursharanjit Singh Bedi apprised the Minister that as many as 82 livestock have been successfully treated so far and all are doing well and 39 samples were collected.

A team from Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana, and Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (NRDDL), Jalandhar, team also visited the village and took samples of affected livestock.

Dr Bedi said that according to postmortem and testing reports of the lab, symptoms of the Pneumonia, Septicaemia, Theileriosis, Anaemia, Nitrate Poisoning and Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) have been found and treatment has been started according to these findings.

Urging the livestock farmers to protect the cattle from the cold, the Animal Husbandry Minister said that a layer of straw should be laid down underneath them and bonfires should be avoided as it causes smoke as per the advisory issued by the Ministry.

He also asked the farmers to restrain from giving fodder containing urea, besides spraying washing soda on the floor of animal shelters to contain the infection. As a part of the biosecurity measures, he also urged the farmers to restrict the movement of persons and animals.