Lumpy skin disease: 339 cattle dead in 5 districts of Maharashtra, 93% vaccination completed

The Maharashtra Animal Husbandry department has said that the current outbreak of the lumpy skin disease is concentrated in Pune, Satara, Solapur, Ahilyanagar, and Jalgaon, and is milder compared to previous ones.

Multi-institutional team tracks virus behind India's lumpy skin cattle disease

A viral infection caused by the Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV), it is transmitted by insects like flies and mosquitoes. It causes fever and skin nodules, and can be fatal for cattle. (Express photo/file)

As many as 9,8230 cattle have been affected by the latest outbreak of the lumpy skin disease in Maharashtra, resulting in the death of 339 of them, according to the Animal Husbandry department, which has claimed vaccination of 93 per cent of the state’s cattle population against the disease.

The viral disease is characterised by the development of skin nodules on various parts of the animal’s body, including the head, neck, limbs, udder, and genitals, along with discharge from the eyes and nose. The disease also causes mobility issues in animals and a drastic reduction in milk production among the cattle. While those that survive develop lifelong immunity, vaccination is the only effective way to protect the cattle population from the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV).

Pravinkumar Deore, Commissioner of Animal Husbandry, said they have begun vaccinating calves as well. “The animals in Maharashtra have almost achieved herd immunity. We are now focusing on the few strays that may have missed vaccination,” he said.

Story continues below this ad

The present outbreak is now centred around Pune, Satara, Solapur, Ahilyanagar and Jalgaon districts of Maharashtra. The Animal Husbandry department has stated that, unlike previous outbreaks, this one is much milder and is restricted to only certain pockets. Previously, it was believed that maternal immunity was transmitted during pregnancy in animals, but the department has now begun mass immunisation of calves as well.

Lumpy Skin Disease was almost alien to India until 2019, when outbreaks occurred in several districts of Odisha. In 2023, lumpy skin disease led to the death of over 8,000 cattle in India. Rajasthan and Gujarat were epicentres of the disease back then. The Centre then directed state governments to undertake mass-scale immunisation of animals using the vaccines available in the market.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra is set to become the first state in the country to develop its own vaccine for the disease, named Lumpi-ProVac. This vaccine is currently being developed at the Animal Husbandry department’s institute in Aundh.

“The vaccine is in its trial stage, and we expect commercial rollout to begin in December,” said Deore.
—-

Parthasarathi Biswas

Partha Sarathi Biwas is an Assistant Editor with The Indian Express with 10+ years of experience in reporting on Agriculture, Commodities and Developmental issues. He has been with The Indian Express since 2011 and earlier worked with DNA. Partha's report about Farmers Producer Companies (FPC) as well long pieces on various agricultural issues have been cited by various academic publications including those published by the Government of India. He is often invited as a visiting faculty to various schools of journalism to talk about development journalism and rural reporting. In his spare time Partha trains for marathons and has participated in multiple marathons and half marathons. ... Read More

Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories

Tags:
Lumpy Skin Disease