Nagender Singh ,Shimla, August 12
Amid rapid spread of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) across Himachal Pradesh, the numbers of infected cattle have crossed over 1000 with 51 deaths, said Virender Kanwar, Animal husbandry Minister in the state Government here today.
“The cases of Lumpy Skin Disease are pouring in from across all districts in Himachal Pradesh. Looking into the wide and rapid spread of the disease which is causing panic among the farmers, we will soon declare an epidemic, helping emergent treatment of the animals,” Virender Kanwar revealed.
This animal skin infection is caused by a virus resembling the viruses that cause goat pox and sheep pox. It has infected thousands of cattle in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, killing thousands of them. Veterinarians and LSD experts have warned of the threats the infectious disease could cause to the livestock in the country and cows are first to become its victims.
“Though this dreadful disease is a cause of serious concern for the state government but we have sufficient vaccine available at the district level and we have ordered district level officers to buy more vaccine without tender so that cattle could be saved from this dreadful infection,” says Animal Husbandry Minister Virender Kanwar.
Since the disease is similar to the goat pox, a vaccine used for its control is being used for LSD and takes 15-20 days to become effective, say doctors in Himachal Pradesh Animal Husbandry department.
But farmers across the state allege that there is a big breach in the state government’s saying and acting and many of the animals are dying of LSD unattended.
Himachal Kissan Sabha (HKS), a body that fights for protecting farmers’ rights in the state, has also shown grave concerns about the fast spreading of the disease and dying of cattle across the state. “We have demanded a massive campaign to launch a vaccination drive for cattle in Himachal Pradesh and it should be constantly monitored like Covid-19 pandemic with daily reporting at the government designated centre so that farmers’ problems are addressed properly on day to day basis,”said Saryawan Pundir, Finance Secretary HKS.
But Pundir too has apprehensions about the assurance given by the state government. He says there are about 25lakh animals in Himachal Pradesh who are vulnerable to this dreadful viral disease but so far only 17551 cattle were vaccinated and how long will it take to complete the entire exercise if the vaccine campaign is not sped up.
The HKS has also demanded compensation to the farmers who have lost their animal wealth in this epidemic-like disease and waiver of loans farmers have raised to buy cattle. This farmers’ body believes that dairy farming is not only a supplementary source of income but one of the principal means of livelihood and employment generating sector in the state as many farmers depend on it to make their living.
“Himachal Pradesh government’s tall claims fall flat when they meet the realities and challenges of the cattle diseases on the ground. What to talk of providing vaccine to treat the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) even common medicines e.g. D-Mag spray, Betadine, Parid pour-On, dexamethasone, melonex , mifax and neurobion to treat common diseases are out of supply largely in the local animal dispensaries across the state,” says Mohan Khanna who runs a Goshan at Ratanpur in Rampur Tehsil of Shimla district.
There is a big gulf between ‘Bhashan’ and ‘Sushasan’ and cows besides other mute animals always become its big causality as helpless beings they do not know or have capacities to protest for their rights, he adds.
The viral disease is spread by species of blood-feasting insects or flies of various kinds from one animal to other.
“The disease causes lesions or lumps on the body of the animal which further grows into wounds and when flies or insects sit on them, they carry the infection to other fit and healthy animals who too becomes victim of this contagious viral disease,” says Veterinarian Vicky, a senior doctor in the state veterinary department in Himachal Pradesh.
During the Monsoon season the spread of LSD is rapid due to wounds catching and transmitting infection fast.
This disease causes high fever sometimes reaching 105 to 107 and may render cattle sterile while affecting the milk production as well.
The death toll due to LSD has reached over 3000 in Gujarat, about 10,000 in Rajasthan and the figures are rising dramatically in other states too.
According to experts the death rate of LSD is between 10-15 percent in India.
India has produced its indigenous vaccine specifically designed to treat the viral disease but its commercialization would take some time. Izarnagar in Uttar Pradesh based Indian Veterinary Research Institute with National Research Centre on Equines (ICAR-NRCE), at Hisar in Haryana has developed a homologous live-attenuated LSD vaccine “Lumpi-ProVacInd”.
In India this dreadful viral disease was first reported in Odisha in 2019, in the same year when Covid -19 was reported in China. According to an FAO report, the disease was first reported in South Asia in July 2019, with Bangladesh reporting an outbreak. India and China too reported in the same year but a month later.
