Vaccination drive against PPR for 4.5 lakh goats in Vellore, nearby districts

A month-long free vaccination drive against peste des petits ruminants (PPR) disease for more than 4.5 lakh goats and sheep by veterinary teams to goat sheds in Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur and Tiruvannamalai commenced on Tuesday.

In her order, Collector V.R.Subbulaxmi said that the vaccination drive was aimed to prevent any outbreak of the disease due to prevailing extreme heat in the district.

Under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Scheme (LHDCP) 2025-26, the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries will cover around 1.4 lakh goats and sheep in Vellore alone as part of the drive. “The second phase of the drive will focus on newborns as they are not resistant to the virus. Goats and sheep that are four-month-old and above are eligible for the vaccine, which is done annually. The drive will be completed on May 28,” said Dr. G. Anbuvan, Assistant Director (AD), Department of Animal Husbandry (Vellore).

As per norms under the National Digital Livestock Mission Blueprint, vaccinated animals will be equipped with bar-coded ear tags with vaccination details. The Collector urged dairy farmers to take part in the drive. Among districts, Tiruvannamalai has the highest number of over 1.5 lakh goats, followed by Ranipet (1.5 lakh) and Vellore (1.3 lakh). As part of the drive, medical teams will visit beneficiaries to vaccinate animals in the sheds every day. Each team comprises a doctor, livestock inspector and a attendent.  

Officials said that the PPR disease was caused by a highly virulent strain of viruses transmitted through urine, tears and manure of infected animals. Affected sheep will develop lesions on the mouth, tongue and gums. Goats will have watery eyes, nose and mouth along with sneezing and cough. Animals will also be prone to respiratory problems, high body temperature. It will result in low productivity.