Journalism of Courage
The lumpy skin disease (LSD) has affected 11.2-lakh cattle, including 49,682 deaths, in 165 districts across a dozen states and Union Territories in the country till August 30 this year, Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Sanjeev Kumar Balyan said on Wednesday.
The LSD cases this year were reported from Andaman & Nicobar islands, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Goa, Balyan told The Indian Express, adding Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana were the worst affected states.
Sharing details of the steps taken to contain the spread of the disease, Balyan said goat pox vaccine is being administered to check the spread of the disease in several states, including Gujarat, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra.
Balyan said that around 25-lakh doses of goat pox vaccine are available and the manufacturing companies have been asked to increase the production. As of now, about one crore doses of the goat pox vaccine are required, Balyan said, adding that the Central government has floated tender for procuring more vaccine doses.
Balyan said that the Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL), a subsidiary of National Dairy Development Board, and a Gujarat-based private firm Hester are the two vaccine manufacturers and both have been asked to increase their production of the goat pox vaccine.
Besides, a control room has been set up at the ministry to monitor the situation and the Centre is providing all possible help to the states, he said, adding that the disease will be controlled soon.
Meanwhile, sources in the ministry said that a fresh case has been reported from Andhra Pradesh even as new cases are on a decline.
Sources said that about 68-lakh goat pox vaccine doses have been administered till date across the country, 50.99 lakh in Gujarat, 5.94 lakh in Punjab, 4.74 lakh in Haryana, and about 3.91 lakh in Rajasthan.
Earlier on August 10, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar had launched the indigenous vaccine Lumpi-ProVacInd to “protect” livestock from lumpy skin disease. This vaccine has been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana), in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
