Science & Technology
Lumpy Skin Disease
- 14 Jan 2021
- 3 min read
Why in News
Recently, a Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) has been infecting India’s bovines.
- The disease is being reported for the first time in India.
Key Points
- Cause:
- The LSD is caused by infection of cattle or water buffalo with the poxvirus Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV).
- The virus is one of three closely related species within the genus capripoxvirus, the other two species being Sheeppox virus and Goatpox virus.
- Symptoms:
- It appears as nodules of two to five centimetre diameter all over the body, particularly around the head, neck, limbs, udder (mammary gland of female cattle) and genitals.
- The lumps gradually open up like large and deep wounds.
- Other clinical signs include general malaise, ocular and nasal discharge, fever, and sudden decrease in milk production.
- It appears as nodules of two to five centimetre diameter all over the body, particularly around the head, neck, limbs, udder (mammary gland of female cattle) and genitals.
- Effect:
- According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) the mortality rate is less than 10%.
- Vectors:
- It spreads through mosquitoes, flies and ticks and also through saliva and contaminated water and food.
- Prevention:
- Control and prevention of lumpy skin disease relies on four tactics - movement control (quarantine), vaccination, slaughter campaigns and management strategies.
- Treatment:
- There is no treatment for the virus, so prevention by vaccination is the most effective means of control.
- Secondary infections in the skin may be treated with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs) and also antibiotics when appropriate.
- There is no treatment for the virus, so prevention by vaccination is the most effective means of control.
- Global Spread:
- LSD is endemic to Africa and parts of West Asia, where it was first discovered in 1929.
- In Southeast Asia the first case of LSD was reported in Bangladesh in July 2019.
- In India, which has the world’s highest 303 million heads of cattle, the disease has spread to 15 states within just 16 months.
- In India it was first reported from Mayurbhanj, Odisha in August 2019.
- Implication:
- This will have a devastating impact on the country, where most dairy farmers are either landless or marginal landholders and milk is among the cheapest protein sources.
