Lumpy skin disease seen in Nagpur dist cattle; does not harm humans

Nagpur: Lumpy skin disease (LSD), an infection which has affected cattle in large numbers throughout the country, showed up in Nagpur district on Tuesday. Cattle having symptoms of LSD were spotted in two villages of the district’s Saoner tehsil, said a press release from the district information office (DIO).
Tight lumps on the skin were spotted in nine cows at Bedgaon and Umri villages of Saoner tehsil, said the release. Samples have been drawn for further tests.
However, the state’s animal husbandry department has clarified that the disease does not spread to humans. In a latest release, it has issued warning against any kind of rumour mongering about its spread to humans
After the cases were found in Saoner an alert has been sounded in 20 villages near Bedgoan and Umri. Over 5,000 cattle head are estimated to be present in the nearby villages. The animal husbandry department has taken up a drive to vaccinate the cattle population in this area, said the release.
So far more than 2,600 cattle in 396 villages across the state have been infected with LSD. Out of these over 1,500 recovered while 56 cattle died.
In a clipping released earlier, departments officials have also clarified that it is not harmful to drink the milk of infected cattle. Although it should be boiled well as a matter of precaution.
The other affected districts of Vidarbha are Akola, Amravati, Washim, Buldhana and Yavatmal. The numbers in Maharashtra are much lower as compared to other states due to prompt vaccination, said animal husbandry department sources.