Lumpy skin disease: 14,000 cattle infected, 21 west UP districts hit, says Govt

“We are making all kinds of precautions to control the LSD virus from spreading further. The process of giving goat pox vaccine to healthy cattle has been started. So far, around 36,000 cattle have been vaccinated. The treatment of affected animals is going on and they are being kept in isolation,” Dr Sharad Kumar Agarwal, Additional Director of Biological Product Institute, which comes under the Animal Husbandry Department, said.

States like Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Gujarat were the first to report LSD cases in the country.

A week ago, the UP government ordered to put on hold all cattle fairs and imposed a temporary ban on animal transport in the wake of the rising number of LSD cases in the country. The entry of people into cow shelters was also restricted.

In an attempt to contain the spread of the virus, isolation centres for affected cattle are being constructed in the state.

A senior official of the Animal Husbandry Department said that around 25 such isolation centres have been set up so far in the 21 districts.

“The spread of LSD virus in the state has been due to a rise in the number of cases in neighbouring states such as Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab. Around 10,000 cattle deaths were reported in Punjab and 31,000 in Rajasthan,” the official added.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle. It 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. Though it is primarily a vector-borne disease, LSD can spread through direct contact with the mucus of the infected cattle.

Since mosquito and housefly infestations remain at their peak during the monsoon, the cases are rising, said an official of the department.