The Epinhood (TEH)

LUMPY SKIN DISEASE – INDIA (03): (WEST BENGAL) CATTLE

A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Sun 21 May 2023
Source: Mint [edited] https://www.livemint.com/news/india/union-minister-directs-prompt-action-on-rising-cases-of-lumpy-skin-disease-in-west-bengal-situation-under-control-11684673227057.html

Union minister of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying Parshottam
Rupala directed for prompt action on the letter from the member of
parliament Raju Bista about his concerns on the reports of rising
cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in Kalimpong and Darjeeling
districts of West Bengal.

The department of animal husbandry and dairying [AHD] responded
swiftly and has taken all necessary steps to provide technical and
financial support in close co-ordination with the state and district
officials of the department concerned.

There are no deaths of cattle due to LSD in Darjeeling and Kalimpong.
Around 400 unvaccinated cattle in Darjeeling and 2000 in Kalimpong
were infected, out of which 200 and 1200, respectively, have already
recovered, the government said in a statement.

Treatment of other infected cattle is underway including ring
vaccination of cattle in affected areas to check the spread of the
disease. There are no reports of LSD in sheep or goats. In both
districts, the infection is reported mainly in unvaccinated cattle.
However, the situation is under control.

The department has been implementing various measures for control of
the disease including adaptation of surveillance strategy, launch of
vaccination programme, etc. The central team, consisting of one
officer each from Northeastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
(NERDDL) Guwahati and Eastern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
(ERDDL) Kolkata, has been asked to visit the affected area to assess
the ground situation and to support the state AHD for control and
containment of LSD in definite timeline.

Lumpy skin disease is a highly contagious viral disease noticed in
cattle and buffaloes and does not affect humans. It causes relatively
low mortality. The disease can result in animal welfare issues and
significant production losses. The disease first broke out in India in
2022, resulting in over 97 000 cattle deaths during 3 months till
September. The outbreak was initially observed in Gujarat and
Rajasthan and affected cattle in 15 states across the country in the
same time span.