It is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease. Affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever for two or three days, followed by blisters inside the mouth and on the feet that may rupture and cause lameness. The virus responsible for the disease is a picornavirus, the prototypic member of the genus Aphthovirus.Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has severe implications for animal farming, since it is highly infectious and can be spread by infected animals through aerosols, through contact with contaminated farming equipment, vehicles, clothing, or feed, and by domestic and wild predators.National Animal Disease Control Programme for Foot and Mouth Disease.
It is a 100% centrally funded programme, with a total outlay of Rs.12,652 crore from 2019 to 2024.It aims to control Foot and Mouth Disease and Brucellosis by 2025 with vaccination and eventual eradication by 2030.