This presentation summarises major problems of Animal Disease Control Programs ongoing in India. India is a hyperendemic country for many animal diseases and zoonotic diseases. Every year billions of rupees are spent on disease control, surveillance, monitoring, and vaccination against vaccine-preventable diseases. However, due to the failure of most animal disease control programs for one or other reasons India directly losses about 20 and 25 thousand crores annually due to endemicity of FMD & brucellosis, respectively. The presentation identifies problems at different levels of different ongoing disease control programs in India. The non-availability of authentic disease data and flaws in vaccine quality control are the biggest problems.

1. Major flaws in Animal Disease
Control Leading to Partial
Success or Failure
Bhoj R Singh
Head, Division of Epidemiology, ICAR-
Indian Veterinary Research Institute,
Izatnagar-243 122, India

2. Problems
• At basal level
• At Farmers level
• At the level of Veterinary service provider
• At administrative level (Block, District, State,
Region, Centre)
• At Pharmaceutical level
• At Quality Control level
• At level of legalities

3. Basal Problems
• Disease information in terms of Epidemiology
(incidence, prevalence, distribution,
seasonality etc.), Etiology.
• Disease data: Unrealistic versus realistic.
• Disease Reporting versus hiding
• Economics of disease control

4. Authenticity of data
Cases of Important diseases of animals reported in India
Source https://dahd.nic.in/annual-reports
Brucellosis PPR HS
Classical
Swine Fever BQ Anthrax Glanders
2008-09 0 18328 2627 2916 2037 490 27
2009-10 61 4496 1562 2027 883 916 0
2010-11 94 9271 3729 5267 1109 1627 0
2011-12 88 10188 9170 17002 4707 658 11
2012-13 17 6976 2918 4018 2676 362 3
2013-14 151 4997 1716 16507 1610 1645 4
2014-15 206 8216 6816 176 4285 1878 0
2015-16 502 4905 2135 778 851 254 20
2016-17 46 6432 4202 533 517 319 69
2017-18 79 1303 1372 1055 686 225 197
2018-19 84 4448 1747 679 88 378 200
2019-20 25 26 564 55 0 184 9
2020-21 1 388 376 89 8 64 17
Why can’t we nip the problem in the bud?

5. Problems at Farmers level
• Education about the livestock health & production problems
• Financial strength
• Loss of faith in implemented disease control measures.
• Loss of faith in Vaccines & vaccination
• Cost (though for some diseases free vaccines and medicines
are available but not for all) & Benefits.
– Rearing cost
– Therapeutic cost
– Preventive cost
– Cost versus value of animal produce

6. Problems at the level of Veterinary service
provider
• Work load and non-specific works
• Area of operation & funds’ availability
• Reachability to the patients (conveyance)
• Knowledge & refreshed up-to-date knowledge
• Refresher & training courses
• Commitment & honesty
• Reward versus punishment for disease reporting
• Accessibility for quality
– Life
– Medicines
– Vaccines
– Diagnostic facilities
– Therapeutic options
– Clinic facilities
– Communication with administrators

7. Problems at administrative level (Block,
District, State, Region, Centre)
• Understanding of animal health & Production
problems
• Understanding the limitations of disease
therapeutics, control and prevention strategies
• Fund release and utilization
• Ego & Humanity, clash of powers
• Commitment & Honesty
• Legalities (Cow protection and Disease
Control can’t go hand in hand)

8. Problems Pharmaceutical level
• Market versus quality
• Biased quality control both at production and
regulatory levels.
• Real cost versus retail cost
• Profit versus greediness
• Real versus fake products
• Quality products versus NSQ products
• Legalities and disputes
• Limited or no quality review options

9. Problems at Quality Control level
• Quality testing facilities in terms of infrastructure
and trained manpower
• Workload and rapidity in testing
• Shortcuts and standards
• Strategic/ random/ targeted sampling
• All versus strategic/ random/ targeted testing
• Changing standards & Double standards
• Political and administrative pressure
• Reward versus punishment for negligence/
diligence in quality testing
• Commitment & Honesty
• Administrative support in case of legalities

10. Problems at level of legalities
• Disparity and Conflicts among Acts enacted by different states (Cow
protection Acts or Prevention of Cow slaughter Acts).
• Conflicting rules in Prevention of Cow slaughter Acts and The
Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in
Animals Act, 2009. (read at: https://azad-
azadindia.blogspot.com/2018/10/mockery-of-prevention-of-cow-slaughter.html)
– Section13 (PCICDAAct): Prohibition of bringing of infected animals into the market and other places.
– Section 25 of the (PCICDA) Act, 2009 suggest Resort to euthanasia for infected animals.—If the
Veterinary Officer deems it necessary that an animal, which is infected with a scheduled disease,
euthanasia has to be resorted to, for preventing the spread of the disease to other animals in the area or
to protect public health if the disease is of zoonotic importance, he may, notwithstanding anything
contained in any other law for the time being in force, by an order in writing, direct euthanasia of the
animal and the carcass disposed of immediately to his satisfaction. But in No case sale of diseased
animals.
– Section 32 suggests penalties for violating rules under the ACT. “Any person who contravenes the
provisions of this Act or obstructs the Competent Officer in performing his duties shall be guilty of an
offence punishable with fine which may extend to one thousand rupees.
– Section 35 of the Act also makes the controlling officers liable for punishment failing in Prevention
of the escape of causative organisms.
• Obsolete or ineffective legislations
• Load on judiciary and delay in justice.
• Legal costs