Uttar Pradesh: Spread of lumpy skin disease 'under control', but dairy farmers say business hit

NOIDA: Days after the state government-imposed a ban on cattle fairs and transport following the spread of lumpy skin disease among the animals, veterinary officials in Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar said that the ban has helped control the infection.

However, dairy farmers and owners said that despite taking adequate care, according to the government instructions, the disease has affected their business.
According to officials, the disease has affected 16 cattle in Ghaziabad and 84 in GB Nagar so far. Dr Mahesh Kumar, chief veterinary officer, Ghaziabad, said, "The surveillance teams are constantly monitoring the situation, ensuring that there is no cattle transport amid the ban. We have so far vaccinated 4,500 cattle and are maintaining a reserve of 20,000 doses to vaccinate more in case of any sudden outbreak."
Despite such precautions, many customers have been averse to buying milk from cattle farmers and owners, going for packaged milk instead. Jitendra Yadav, a dairy farm owner in Sector 73, Noida, said, "Though I have already got my four cows and six buffaloes vaccinated, there has been apprehension among some of my regular customers. They are now buying packaged milk and asked me to resume supply once the infection subsides."
"I tried to make them (the customers) understand that my animals are vaccinated, the infection does not get transmitted to humans, and boiling milk further minimises the chances of any infection, but they are adamant. If the infection continues for long, there will be losses of over Rs 10-15,000 every month," he added.
Surju Lal, another dairy farmer in Greater Noida, said, "The apprehension among milk buyers has reduced the quantity of milk I sell. More than five customers have asked not to bring milk for a few days."
The infection can affect the milk production of the animals temporarily. "I have 12 cattle, of which 2 have lumpy skin disease symptoms like fever and are under the supervision of doctors. I have isolated the two cows. The milk they produce has reduced to half. Earlier, each would produce at least 25 litres of milk per day; that is now only 10 litres per day. Currently, I wash the cattle with neem leaves and feed them mineral mixture for additional immunity," Lal said.
Dr Nikhil Varshney, chief veterinary officer, GB Nagar, said, "Our team has vaccinated over 5,200 cattle against lumpy skin infection. The district has 84 infected animals, which we are closely monitoring. Lumpy skin disease has a mortality rate between 1-5%, but there has been no death here. The animals are currently recovering fast."
Nitya Mohan, who looks after the government-owned cow shelter in Sector 14A, Noida, said, "There are over 700 cows at the premises, out of which 21 animals, mostly calves, have developed symptoms of lumpy skin infection. The veterinary teams are visiting us for regular updates on the health of the symptomatic animals. Meanwhile, we are spraying formalin and ensuring cows get mineral mixture for natural immunity against disease."
Dairy farmers and owners can contact veterinary officers at the control room at Vikas Bhawan in Ghaziabad in case of need. The department has also released a helpline, 0120-2829040, which is operational 24 hours.