India: livestock diseases predicted for Northeast
A project on animal disease monitoring and surveillance based in Bangalore has warned that four livestock diseases, including haemorrhagic septicaemia, black quarter, foot-and-mouth disease and classical swine fever, will hit Northeast India in February andMarch 2012.
The project, which is under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, uses unique software which can predict outbreak of diseases in a particular state in the next two months.
“The forecasting is based on retrospective disease data and weather-based disease forecasting models using different techniques,” H. Rahman, project director at the Bangalore centre, told local media in India.
Data of the last 25 years has been considered for the current forecast. Mr Rahman has predicted that haemorrhagic septicaemia, black quarter, foot-and-mouth disease may occur in the states of Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Foot-and-mouth disease and classical swine flu have been predicted in Assam for February and March and haemorrhagic septicaemia in March. Rabies has been predicted in Nagaland and Meghalaya.
“Necessary steps are being taken to inform the state governments regarding the availability of such prediction to help them initiate suitable control measures,” Mr Rahman said. “Forecasting/forewarning of the diseases will not only help in their prevention and control through timely vaccinations but also helps in taking steps to arrest the spread of the disease to other parts of the region. If we can prevent all these diseases, farmers’ income will increase.”
