LUMPY SKIN DISEASE - SCI & TECH
News: Centre pushes vaccination as lumpy skin ravages cattle
What is in the news?
●
With Maharashtra,
Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Sikkim reporting fresh cases of lumpy skin disease
in May, the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry has reviewed the situation.
Key takeaways:
●
Ministry officials after
the review of the situation found that the infection was not as contagious as
it was last year.
●
New
cases:
○ In
Uttarakhand, almost all the cases are new, but in Karnataka and Maharashtra,
some of the cases had been reported before May.
●
Herd
immunity:
○ The
incidence of cases is low because of the protection given by the vaccination
done last year.
○ The
gravity of the infection was lower than last year’s as cattle have now
developed herd immunity.
●
Vaccination:
○ About
nine crore cattle have been vaccinated so far, and the recovery rate is above 94%.
○ Government
said that there was no need to panic, the government suggested that vaccination
should be further increased.
○ Apart
from vaccination, the Centre has asked the States to do fogging and
disinfection drives in risky areas.
Lumpy Skin Disease:
About:
●
Lumpy skin disease is
caused by the lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which belongs to the genus
capripoxvirus, a part of the poxviridae family (smallpox and monkeypox
viruses).
●
It is not a zoonotic virus, meaning the
disease cannot spread to humans.
●
It does not affect
humans.
●
The disease can result in
animal welfare issues and significant production losses.
●
LSD affects the lymph
nodes of the infected animal, causing the nodes to enlarge and appear like
lumps on the skin, which is where it derives its name from.
Symptoms:
●
Lymph nodes
●
Fever
●
Depression
●
Skin nodules
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Reduction in milk yield
●
Abortion in pregnant
animals.
Spreadness:
●
By movement of affected
animals
●
By biting insects or
parasites such as flies, mosquitoes and ticks
●
By contaminated equipment
●
Directly from animal to
animal in some cases.
●
It can spread through
animal semen during artificial insemination.
Incubation period:
●
The incubation period or
the time between infection and symptoms is about 28 days.
Morbidity & Mortality:
●
The morbidity of the disease varies between two to 45% and mortality or
rate of death is less than 10%, however, the reported mortality of the
current outbreak in India is up to 15%, particularly in cases being reported in
the western part (Rajasthan) of the country.
Geographical outbreak:
●
The current outbreak
started in Gujarat and Rajasthan around July and had spread to Punjab, Himachal
Pradesh, Andaman & Nicobar and Uttarakhand by early August.
●
It then spread to Jammu
and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. In recent weeks, it was reported in
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, and Jharkhand.
●
The virus has infected
over 16 lakh cattle in 197 districts as of September 11. Of the nearly 75,000
cattle that the disease has killed, more than 50,000 deaths, mostly cows, have
been reported from Rajasthan.
Vaccination:
●
In a major breakthrough,
two institutes of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) have
developed an indigenous vaccine for LSD.
●
The vaccine is based on
LSD virus samples from cattle in Ranchi afflicted in the 2019 outbreak and
experimental trials conducted on animals afflicted in the ongoing 2022
outbreak.