Farida for developing vaccine locally

Farida Akhter, a Fisheries and Livestock adviser, stressed today the importance of adopting concrete measures to create cow vaccinations locally and instructed those involved to educate farmers about Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD).

“Emphasis should be given to developing vaccines for cattle locally so these could be exported after meeting domestic demand,” she said.

The advisor made the remark at the LSD vaccine seed handover ceremony in a city hotel, said a ministry press release.

The event was planned as part of the Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute’s (BLRI) “Zoonosis and Trans-boundary Animal Diseases Prevention and Control Research Project” development initiative.
Farida Akhter called for the development of a vaccination against LSD, recognizing it as a transboundary animal disease that affects humans both directly and indirectly.

She stated that it is imperative to promptly ascertain the degree of harm inflicted by this disease on livestock.

The adviser called for increasing the capacity of research and laboratories, saying diseases and germs are being attacked due to climate change and for this, the government is ready to provide necessary support to scientists.

She said that livestock officials should continue to work to increase awareness about LSD disease to see if there will be any harm to humans by eating infected beef.

With BLRI Director General Dr. Shakila Faruque in the chair, Director General of Department of Livestock (DLS) Dr. Md. Abu Sufiun, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock Amena Begum, senior officials of Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, BLRI, DLS were present.

BLRI Additional Director Dr. ABM Mustanur Rahman delivered welcome address while keynote speech on LSD vaccine was presented by BLRI Chief Scientific Officer and Head of the Department of Trans-boundary Animal Disease Research Center Dr Muhammad Abdus Samad. 

As experts, Professor Dr. Md. Bahanur Rahman, dean of the Bangladesh Agricultural University’s veterinary faculty, and Professor Dr. Nitish Chandra Debnath, chief of the Bangladesh Systems Strengthening for One Health party, took part in the conversation.

Initially, the advisor officially turned over the BLRI-developed LSD vaccine to the Department of Livestock for commercial manufacturing and farm-level expansion.

The vaccine production handbook was unveiled together with the signing of a bilateral memorandum of understanding.