Lumpy skin disease: Over 7,000 animals dead in 8 States/UT so far
PremiumLumpy skin disease emerged in Bangladesh in July 2019. Apart from India, it has recently spread in Asia following outbreaks in the Middle East and Europe.
More than 7,300 animals have died due to lumpy skin disease (LSD) in eight states including one union territory so far, said a senior government official as quoted by news agency PTI. He informed that the vaccination drive has been stepped up to contain the skin infection in cattle.
Of these 7,300 deaths, 3,359 animals died in Punjab, 2,111 in Rajasthan, 1,679 in Gujarat, 62 in Jammu and Kashmir, 38 in Himachal Pradesh, 36 in Uttarakhand, and 29 in Andaman and Nicobar, according to the ministry's data.
The disease emerged in Bangladesh in July 2019. Apart from India, it has recently spread in Asia following outbreaks in the Middle East and Europe.
The government official said that India too saw the first case of lumpy skin disease in 2019, majorly in West Bengal and Odisha. Now, the disease has been reported in western and northern states as well as Andaman and Nicobar islands.
In an interaction with PTI, the official said, "At first, the disease was reported in Gujarat and now has spread to eight states/union territories. More than 1.85 lakh cattle have been affected so far, of which, over 7,300 animals died since its outbreak in July."
In Punjab, there are 74,325 cattle have been affected with lumpy skin disease, 58,546 in Gujarat, 43,962 in Rajasthan, 6,385 in Jammu and Kashmir, 1,300 in Uttarakhand, 532 in Himachal Pradesh, 260 in Andaman and Nicobar, he said, adding that the data from Madhya Pradesh is awaited.
Lumpy skin disease (LSD), a contagious viral disease that affects cattle, is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes, or ticks. It causes fever, and nodules on the skin and can also lead to death.
Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar directed the officials to fight the disease "just like the state did during Covid times". He instructed Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal to procure vaccines and inoculate all cattle. The vaccination is directed to start on a war footing with daily monitoring.
Khattar also promised to procure more vaccine doses for the state after talking to the Union Minister for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairy Parshottam Rupala.
To control the spread of the disease, the officials are also ordered to ensure that the pits dugs to bury carcasses of infected animals are deep enough. The Chief Minister also directed close monitoring of gaushalas.
(With PTI inputs)
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