Guwahati: In India, occurrence of Lumpy skin disease are fast increasing among cattle, and as many as eight states have so far been implicated.
Over 67,000 cattle have died as a result of the disease since the beginning of July, which has forced the government to take notice and launch a significant vaccination programme.
A viral disease, lumpy skin disease primarily affects cows. The lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) is a member of the poxviridae family and belongs to the capripoxvirus genus.
It is carried by blood-feeding insects like mosquitoes, ticks, and some species of flies. Additionally, water and contaminated feed are vectors for the disease.
Fever and skin nodules are among the symptoms, which can potentially be fatal, particularly in animals that have never been exposed to the virus before.
On April 23, the Kutch region of Gujarat reported the country’s first incidence of the lumpy skin condition.
Gujarat and the neighbouring states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir experienced a rapid spread of the disease.
Jatindra Nath Swain, the secretary of Rajasthan’s department of dairying and animal husbandry, stated, “In Rajasthan, there are 600-700 fatalities each day. However, it is less than 100 in some states in a single day.
The “goat pox vaccination” is currently being administered to all livestock in the affected states by the Center. The vaccine is “100% effective” against the sickness, according to the authorities.
In the eight states that have so far reported cases of the virus, up to 1.5 crore doses have already been given. It should be mentioned that India is thought to have roughly 20 crore cattle in total.
For the lumpy sickness, the nation has also created an indigenous vaccination called “Lumpi-ProVacInd.” Four crore doses are produced each month by two companies that manufacture the product.