(Posted on 15 October 2010)
An ambitious global effort that has brought rinderpest, a deadly cattle plague, to the brink of extinction is ending all field activities, paving the way for official eradication of the disease. The planet is rid of rinderpest, the devastating livestock disease targeted for eradication in the mid-1990s.
“This is the first animal disease virus that’s been eradicated through a vaccination campaign,” and only the second viral disease, after smallpox in 1980, to have been wiped from the earth, says veterinary scientists at the Institute for Animal Health in Pirbright, UK who was involved in the effort. “It is a major achievement.”
India finds a prime spot among countries with high incidences of zoonotic diseases, according to the new study by International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). More than fifty zoonoses are estimated to cause 2.5 billion cases of human illness and 2.7 million human deaths a year. (Courtesy: International Livestock Research Institute). Based on the impacts on human and animal health, thirteen zoonotic diseases were identified: zoonotic gastrointestinal disease; leptospirosis; cysticercosis; zoonotic tuberculosis; rabies; leishmaniasis; brucellosis; echinococcosis; toxoplasmosis; Q fever; zoonotic trypanosomosis, hepatitis E and anthrax.
Sri Sharad Pawar, (Union Minister for Agriculture, Government of India) launched the first phase of the National Dairy Plan (‘Mission Milk’) today (19 April 2012) at National Dairy Development Board, (Anand, Gujarat) in the presence of Sri. Narendra Modi, the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Mr Pawar hoped that the NDP will be the first step in the country’s renewed efforts to augment the milk production. 
The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Government of India has announced 100% Foreign Direct Investment in Animal Husbandry including breeding of dogs under controlled conditions. According to the ‘Consolidated FDI policy- Circular 1 of 2011’ released by the department, the term ‘under controlled conditions’ includes:
A state-wide culling of ducks and chicken has been started in Agartala (Tripura, India). Culling and killing of birds are on the way within a radius of 3 kms from the government owned poultry farm where the bird-flu was reported. Transportation of poultry and poultry products are banned in the state and the poultry markets are ordered to be shut down. In the neighboring Bangladesh (Rajshahi) around 8600 chickens were reported to be dead following an outbreak of disease.
The year 2011 is proposed to be observed as ’World Veterinary Year' to commemorate the founding of the first veterinary school in Lyon, France by Louis XV in 1761. The successful launch of this first veterinary school created the veterinary profession itself. And the year 2011 will mark the 250th anniversary of veterinary education and profession. The birth of the veterinary profession will be promoted and celebrated by veterinarians and international veterinary institutions alike.
The Executive Board of American Veterinary Medical Association approved an amendment to Veterinarian’s Oath to highlight the priority of the profession in animal welfare as well. The responsibility of the veterinarian to ensure adequate animal welfare or to promote good animal welfare was not mentioned in the oath of veterinarians. The newly revised section of the oath—the committee's additions appear in bold italics—reads as follows: "Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health and welfare, the prevention and relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge."
The Guinness war for the title of ‘the world’s shortest cow’ takes place here in Kerala. And the vets take sides too. The Centre for Advanced Studies in Animal Genetics of the Kerala Agricultural University claims that they own the shortest cows belonging to the famous ‘Vechur’ breed of cattle.
In the Middle-East the incidence of glanders, an infectious disease that mainly affects horses and poses a serious health risk to animals and even humans must be increasingly monitored by official national Veterinary services in the region, concluded a high-level OIE expert mission that visited, respectively Syria, Kuwait and Bahrain, (October 2nd- 8th 2010). The investigation found that sometimes weak early detection and laboratory diagnosis capacity combined with under reporting of the disease, facilitated spread of glanders in the region.