Lumpy skin disease declared an epidemic in Himachal Pradesh

Hamirpur: Lumpy skin disease has been declared as an epidemic in the district of Kangra, Sirmaur, Solan, Shimla, Chamba, and Una districts of Himachal Pradesh.

HP Animal Husbandry Minister Virendra Kanwar said cases of lumpy skin disease had affected 1560 cattle in the state and eighty-four of them lost their lives.

Lumpy skin disease is a viral infection of cattle. Originally found in Africa, it has also spread to countries in the Middle East, Asia, and Eastern Europe. Its clinical signs include fever, lacrimation, hypersalivation, and characteristics skin eruptions.

Lumpy skin disease is an infectious, eruptive, occasionally fatal disease of cattle characterized by nodules on the skin and other parts of the body. Secondary bacterial infection often aggravates the condition. Traditionally, lumpy skin disease is found in southern and eastern Africa, but in the 1970s it extended northwest through the continent into sub-Saharan West Africa.

Since 2000, it has spread to several countries in the Middle East and in 2013 extended west into Turkey and several countries in the Balkans. More recently, outbreaks of lumpy skin disease were reported for the first time in Georgia, Russia, Bangladesh, and the People's Republic of China. The recent geographic spread of lumpy skin disease has caused international concern.

The disease has not been recorded in the Western hemisphere or in Australia or New Zealand.

Kanwar told UNI that under the Disaster Management Act, compensation of Rs 30,000 was being given on the death of animals.

The Animal Husbandry Minister said the department has so far vaccinated 20,700 animals. The team of doctors is working day and night to stop the epidemic from spreading.

He said in Himachal, Lumpy skin disease was found in Naina Tikkar of Sirmaur on June 25, 2022, in nomadic animals. For its prevention, a task force has been constituted at the district level.

The minister said this disease was spread by the bite of flies, mosquitoes, etc. It is also spreading in animals like corona. The animal would have a fever of 105 to 106 degrees and there would be boils all over the body.

This disease has wreaked havoc in Rajasthan earlier, the minister said.

He appealed to the people to inform the Animal husbandry department if any such symptoms were found in their cattle. (UNI)