Lumpy skin disease spreads in Rajasthan; more than one thousand cattle killed

Lumpy skin disease in animals has spread to 18 districts. More than one thousand  cattle have been killed by it so far and more than 4 lakh affected. The government and the cattle farmers are in trouble due to the disease spreading fast in the state.

When cattle farmer Mohan Lal Yadav from the Loharwada village in the Jaipur district was contacted by Rural Voice to get the ground report, he said he had 15 milch cattle, of which three were affected by lumpy skin disease. He said that his cow first limped and then it had inflammation in the legs. A 1-1.5-inch nodule began to form on its body, it had a high fever, and saliva started coming out of its mouth. The cow then stopped feeding. Veterinary doctors have administered injections and medicines to the cows and the animals are now better. Yadav said that 20-25 animals in his village were suffering from lumpy skin disease.

Haldi Ram Chaudhary, a cattle farmer from Mohammadabad, another village in Jaipur, told Rural Voice that one of his five milch cattle was suffering from lumpy skin disease. The animal is now better after treatment. Seven animals in his village are suffering from lumpy skin disease.

On Wednesday, Lalchand Kataria, the Minister for Animal Husbandry in Rajasthan, held a meeting with Dinesh Kumar, Principal Secretary, Agriculture; PC Kishan, Secretary, Animal Husbandry; and other senior officers of the department to review the situation. He has directed the officers to constantly monitor the situation.

Kataria said that the state government was working to control the lumpy disease with full seriousness and sensitivity. Orders have been given for maintaining cleanliness, spraying sodium hypochlorite and fogging to keep infection at bay.

Kishan said that preparations had been made to purchase 41 lakh doses of goat pox vaccine for the prevention of lumpy skin disease. He said that the Ajmer District Milk Producers’ Association had bought 1 lakh doses of the vaccine and started vaccination. The District Milk Producers’ Association in Alwar had issued orders to purchase 6.80 lakh doses of goat pox vaccine, that in Kota one lakh doses and that in Udaipur 2 lakh doses.

Sharing his field experience in treatment, veterinarian Dr Banshidhar Yadav, who is in charge of Veterinary Hospital, Harsauli, Jaipur, said that the animals first start limping in this disease, which is followed by inflammation in the legs and the formation of nodules on the body.  The animal runs a fever up to 105 degrees. Also, saliva starts coming out of its mouth and the animal stops food intake.

Dr Banshidhar said that the farmers should start home remedies immediately if they come across any symptoms. If a mixture of 500 grams (gm) of turmeric, 500gm of black cumin, 100gm of black pepper, 300gm of parsley, neem leaves, giloy leaves and 1kg of jaggery is prepared in five litres of water, heated up and then served to the sick animal in doses of 150ml morning and evening, the condition of the animal gets better. In case there is no improvement, seek the advice of the veterinary doctor immediately.

Lumpy skin disease, a viral infection that causes lumps on the body of the cattle, is spreading in several states of the country. There is no definite cure for it as yet. Vaccination is the most effective means of prevention. The infection is caused among the cattle by the Capripox virus, which spreads through animal saliva, shared water and animal fodder. The virus also spreads through ticks, mosquitoes and flies that sit on the infected animal’s body.