India Takes FMD Vaccination Door to Door as Livestock Disease Control Effort Expands

Veterinary teams are taking free foot-and-mouth disease vaccination directly to livestock farmers as India pushes towards its 2030 FMD eradication goal

BIHAR, INDIA: India is taking foot-and-mouth disease vaccination closer to livestock farmers, with veterinary teams carrying out field-based vaccination of cattle and buffaloes as part of the country’s wider disease control programme.

A 45-day vaccination campaign in Barari block of Katihar district, Bihar, is taking FMD vaccination to villages and livestock-owning households. The local drive covers 22 panchayats and targets eligible cattle and buffaloes.

The campaign reflects a much bigger national effort: vaccinate animals at scale, repeatedly, and improve last-mile coverage in India’s villages.

Why foot-and-mouth disease remains a major threat to Indian farmers

Foot-and-mouth disease, commonly called FMD, is a highly contagious viral disease affecting cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs.

For farmers, the biggest impact is often economic. FMD can reduce milk production, slow animal growth, affect fertility and reduce the working ability of bullocks. The disease can also create barriers to international trade in livestock products.

This makes FMD control particularly important for India, where millions of rural households depend on dairy and livestock for regular income.

India’s FMD outbreaks fall from 132 to 32

Official government data show clear progress. The number of reported FMD outbreaks in India fell from 132 in 2019 to 32 in 2025, according to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The latest available post-vaccination assessment also reported an average 70% seroconversion rate, a measure used to assess the immune response after vaccination.

At the same time, the prevalence of antibodies linked to FMD virus infection fell from 16% during 2021–23 to 7.8% in the latest available assessment.

These figures suggest that India’s FMD control programme is making progress, although continued vaccination and monitoring remain necessary.

Door-to-door vaccination can help close the last-mile gap

India’s FMD programme is built around repeated mass vaccination. Under the National Animal Disease Control Programme, susceptible cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and pigs are targeted for vaccination against FMD at six-month intervals. The programme also includes animal identification, vaccination records, disease monitoring and testing before and after vaccination.

Taking vaccines directly to farms and households can be particularly important in rural areas.

Small livestock owners may have only one or two animals. Travelling to a veterinary centre can mean losing work time, arranging transport and moving animals over long distances. A village-level vaccination team removes many of these practical barriers.

India wants to eradicate FMD by 2030

India’s national animal disease control policy has a clear long-term target: eradication of foot-and-mouth disease by 2030.

The Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme also aims to strengthen vaccination, veterinary services, disease surveillance and animal health infrastructure. Mobile Veterinary Units are specifically intended to take veterinary care to farmers’ doorsteps.

India’s earlier National Animal Disease Control Programme was launched with an outlay of ₹13,343 crore for five years, with central funding for FMD and brucellosis control.

Vaccination is only effective when all animals are actually vaccinated

The Bihar campaign highlights one of the biggest challenges in livestock disease control: a vaccine cannot protect an animal that is missed.

India has a vast and widely dispersed livestock population. Animals are held on commercial farms, small dairy units and in millions of rural households. This is why last-mile vaccination matters.

Regular vaccination, correct animal records, cold storage of vaccines and follow-up monitoring are all part of the national FMD control system.

FMD control is also about protecting rural income

For a small dairy farmer, a fall in milk production can immediately reduce household income. Controlling FMD therefore goes beyond animal health. It can help protect milk production, livestock productivity and the financial security of rural families.

The fall in reported outbreaks from 132 in 2019 to 32 in 2025 is encouraging. But India’s 2030 eradication target will depend on whether vaccination reaches animals consistently, including those in remote villages.

The door-to-door FMD vaccination effort in Bihar shows the direction of India’s livestock disease control strategy: take prevention directly to the farmer, vaccinate at scale and make sure fewer animals are missed.