Health
Unique International Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease (ICFMD) in Odisha
International Centre for Foot and Mouth Disease (ICFMD) was inaugurated at Arugul, Odisha. This the first-of-its-kind research centre on animal diseases in the entire Asia, involving an expenditure of Rs 200 crore for which the Odisha Government has already provided the land. This will serve not only India but the SAARC countries as well. The high containment laboratory facility will be a platform to analyse exotic virus strains in order to develop preparedness in terms of diagnostics and vaccines for this prestigious laboratory. It is an important development as, even if foot and mouth disease is non-existent in 70 countries, it is endemic in India. Project Director of ICFMD Dr. B Pattnaik shared, "The disease hampers rural economy as it affects domestic animals and cattle. Once eliminated, the economy will get a boost since direct loss due to the disease in India is estimated at `23,000 crore per annum.’’
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