The lumpy skin disease has been rapidly spreading among cattle in eight states of India. Over 67,000 cattle have died of the disease since July, prompting a massive vaccination drive.
Here are 10 things we know about the lumpy skin disease:
Lumpy skin disease is a viral disease that mainly affects cows.
The lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) is a virus of the capripoxvirus genus in the poxviridae family.
The virus is transmitted by insects that feed on blood, like mosquitoes, ticks, and certain species of flies. Lumpy skin disease also spreads through contaminated fodder and water.
The disease causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death, especially in animals that have not previously been exposed to the virus.
The first lumpy skin disease case in India was reported on April 23 in Gujarat's Kutch region.
Since then, the disease has rapidly spread in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.
"In Rajasthan, the number of death is 600-700 per day. But in other states, it is less than 100 in a single day," said Jatindra Nath Swain, the Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department Secretary.
The Centre has begun administering the 'goat pox vaccine' to all cattle in the affected states. The government said that the vaccine is "100 per cent effective" against the lumpy skin disease.
1.5 crore doses have been administered in the eight affected states. The cattle population in India is around 20 crore.
India has also developed an indigenous vaccine 'Lumpi-ProVacInd' for the lumpy disease. Two companies are manufacturing this vaccine and they have the capacity to produce four crore doses a month.
