PESHAWAR, July 12: The centre of Animal Biotechnology Institute of Vetinary Research, NWFP, has formally launched HSV vaccines for cattle-borne foot-and-mouth disease.

“The vaccines will immunise animals from foot-and-mouth disease for a year and will be marketed soon,” said provincial Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock Arbab Shahrukh.

He was addressing at the launching ceremony of the vaccines here on Wednesday.

Air-Vice Marshall Tahir Rafiq Butt, Director of the National Accountability Bureau, NWFP formally launched the new vaccines.

He said that the vaccines were safe, effective and specifically designed to curb the foot-and-mouth disease. He said that the vaccines would reduce the cost of maintaining cattle and help increase livestock productivity.

“The vaccines have been manufactured in Peshawar and contain highly effective ingredients,” he added.

Director of the Veterinary Research Institute (VRI) Dr Syed Nasir Hussain Shah said that the biotechnology centre had been revamped with the appointment of three new doctors and putting in place of state-of-the-art facilities. Four more doctors would be inducted soon, he said, adding that it would increase the centre’s efficiency.

He said that efforts were also being made to improve the performance of the centre’s diagnostic laboratory. He said that a new laboratory was being set up to manufacture bird flu vaccines. He said that two doctors were being trained in this regard.

“About 4,000 doses of haemorrahagic septicaemia vaccines (HSV) have been manufactured,” Dr Shah said.

Dr Mohammad Bilal said that the disease killed two million animals in Pakistan every year, causing Rs2 billion losses to the national exchequer. He said that a strategy was being devised to provide better care for sheep, adding that farm directory was also being compiled to give a clearer picture about government efforts for prevention of animal diseases.