Lumpy Skin Disease

In  Context 

Over the last few weeks, nearly 3,000 cattle have died in Rajasthan and Gujarat due to a viral infection called the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD). 

Lumpy Skin Disease

• About:
  • It is caused by a virus called the Capripoxvirus and is “an emerging threat to livestock worldwide”. 
  • It is genetically related to the goatpox and sheeppox virus family.
  • It infects cattle and water buffalo mainly through vectors such as blood-feeding insects. 
• Symptoms:
  • the appearance of circular, firm nodes on the animal’s hide or skin that look similar to lumps.
  • excessive nasal and salivary secretion.
• Spread: 
  • The disease is not zoonotic, meaning it does not spread from animals to humans, and humans cannot get infected with it.
  • Historically, LSD has remained confined to Africa, where it was first discovered in 1929, and parts of West Asia.
    • It was first reported in Asia and the Pacific region in 2019 in north west China, Bangladesh and India. 

• Treatment: 
  • No treatment is available for the disease so prevention by vaccination is the most effective means of control.
  • Successful control and eradication of LSD relies on “early detection followed by a rapid and widespread vaccination campaign”
  • Once an animal has recovered, it is well protected and cannot be the source of infection for other animals.

Source:IE