HYDERABAD: For the first time in Telangana, a vaccine for the Bluetongue disease will be administered to sheep across the State free of cost, starting on Monday. The Animal Husbandry Department has given instructions to its teams to visit villages and administer the vaccine, keeping in view the threat of diseases in the aftermath of floods and heavy rains to farm animals.
Bluetongue disease is a vector-borne viral disease affecting sheep, caused by virus carriers like Culicoides midges. According to Dr S Ramchander, Director, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department, the virus mainly affects the tongue and mouth of sheep and causes fever in them with temperatures ranging between 104 and 107 degrees Fahrenheit. This year, 1.23 crore vials have been supplied to the department’s field staff, to administer them across the entire State.