Mass vaccination of livestock in forest fringe villages is an important and relatively common activity in the Indian context to address the threat of disease transmission between domesticated livestock and wildlife. In recent years, grant-based or voluntary free livestock vaccination in forest fringe areas has become a favorite activity for several NGOs in India. Though private participation to assist the government in animal disease control is a welcome move, what is missing is the planned, targeted, and protocol-based approach. Photo source: Mr Dibakar Das

Vaccination of livestock in fringe villages must carefully consider specific circumstances, follow protocols, and target livestock owners for maximum coverage and outcome. The government should facilitate this by making available information about socio-economic and epidemiological risk profiling of fringe villages. For the targeted campaigns, public investment is also necessary to ensure mandatory identification of households rearing liv