Lumpy Skin Disease: Odisha to provide free vaccination to affected livestock

“As many as 27 lakh doses of vaccine have reached the state to provide immunity against Lumpy Skin Disease. Today 93,000 cattle have been vaccinated in the state. A total of 10,57,300 cattle have been vaccinated so far in the state and the vaccination program is going on,” the government release said.

The government informed that the Lumpy Skin Disease has appeared in 18,842 cattle in the state so far and out of that 9,621 have recovered after treatment.

“The affected cattle are being recovered after treatment by the veterinary staff. As cattle usually do not die of this disease, livestock farmers are being advised by Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Department to take care of their cattle without listening to any rumours or getting panicked. In case of the occurrence of this disease in any area, the department has issued advisories to immediately report it to the nearest Livestock Inspector, Veterinary Doctor, or Chief District Veterinary Officer. Livestock farmers can call Tele Veterinary Service to get expert advice for prevention and control of Lumpy Skin Disease,” it added.

In the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, the government informed that more than 1.55 lakh cattle died due to the Lumpy Skin Disease.

“As per the latest 20th Livestock census, the cattle population in the country is approximately 19.34 crores,” Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying Minister Parshottam Rupala said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

Lumpy skin disease is a viral ailment in cattle transmitted by blood-feeding insects such as certain species of flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. Symptoms of the disease primarily include fever and nodules on the skin. The disease can cause death, more so if the cattle have not been previously exposed to the virus.

With inputs from ANI