7 suspected cases of lumpy virus found in MP's Shivpuri district
Sep 22, 2022
Shivpuri (Madhya Pradesh) [India], September 22 : As many as seven suspected cases of the lumpy disease have been found in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh, said Dr MC Tamori, Deputy Director of Animal Department on Wednesday.
He further said that out of which five have been sent for confirmation to Bhopal lab.
"7 cases of suspected lumpy disease found in Shivpuri district, out of which 5 have been sent for confirmation to Bhopal lab," said Dr Tamori.
He further advised people to segregate animals that have contracted the disease and get the rest vaccinated.
Over a hundred animals in Madhya Pradesh have been infected with the virus, according to data released by the chief minister's office as of September 21.
In the 26 districts of the state, 7,686 animals were affected of which 5,432 animals were cured while 101 died, according to an official statement.
"It needs to be taken very seriously. Just like we fought against Covid, we will fight this lumpy virus to save the lives of animals," Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said according to the statement.
The Lumpy Skin Disease virus is causing the loss of many milch animals across states. Apart from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra is another state that is suffering a heavy impact of the disease's outbreak.
A large number of cattle have died after being infected by the virus in Maharashtra.
"Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) has been rapidly spreading all throughout the Maharashtra state. It is a cutaneous viral disease of the bovines. This disease is not transmitted to human beings either from animals or through cow milk," the animal husbandry department release stated.
The virus has been found only in cows and buffaloes. There is no danger to humans in eating meat or using milk of animals that do not have the symptoms of Lumpy. Animals can be cured from Lumpy, however, the milk of such animals may get affected due to the virus.
As per reports, lumpy skin disease is a 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 lead to the death of the cattle.
Meanwhile, providing relief to the livestock of the country, Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on August 10 launched the indigenous vaccine Lumpi-ProVac to protect livestock from Lumpy skin disease.
The vaccine has been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana) in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
Ever since the disease came to India in 2019, research institutes have been engaged in developing the vaccine.