Telangana discovered the first case of lumpy skin disease LSD in cattle.
The Telangana government has closed cattle crossing the border after discovering the first case of lumpy skin disease (LSD) among ‘white and black’ animals in 12 districts. Following the Central Government’s advice, the Animal Husbandry Department sent approximately 130 samples to Bengaluru’s Southern Region Disease Diagnostics Laboratory.
‘We are taking all precautions to contain the virus and have begun vaccination animals in high-risk areas,’ Telangana Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav told.
LSD has killed thousands of cows and buffaloes around the country. LSD is an infectious disease that produces fever and skin tumours, ultimately killing animals.
Infection is only mild
‘We were made aware of the incident in 12 districts. It is a minor infection. We took samples and evaluated them here (Elisa). Four of the 45 tested positive for the lumpy skin condition. We submitted the samples to the Bengaluru diagnostic laboratory because it is a designated centre for certifying the samples,’ S Ramchander, Director of Telangana’s Veterinary and Animal Husbandry Department, explained.
The Department anticipates receiving data from the Bengaluru laboratory within a week.
Meanwhile, the Department has started vaccinating animals in areas where the virus has been reported. Because there is no vaccination for the disease, the Department is repurposing a vaccine designed for goat pox to treat the lumpy skin disorder.
Vaccination against goat pox
Telangana is the only state in which the goat pox vaccine is manufactured by a government institution. ‘Because it is suggested for lumpy skin conditions, we will utilise it on the sensitive animals,’ Ramchander explained.
It will not, however, be a blanket vaccination programme encompassing all 84 lakh cattle in the state. ‘We’re going to map the region around an incident and vaccinate animals within a five-kilometre radius,’ he said. The state government is preparing to distribute the vaccine to other states where the sickness is prevalent.