Lumpy disease: Rajasthan worst hit state

India

oi-PTI

Jaipur, Aug 07:
Rajasthan
has
been
worst
hit
by
the
outbreak
of
lumpy
skin
disease
with
11
districts
reporting
a
surge
in
cases,
Union
Animal
Husbandry
Minister
Purushottam
Rupala
has
said.

Punjab,
Rajasthan,
Uttarakhand,
Gujarat
and
Andaman
and
Nicobar
Islands
have
been
hit
by
the
outbreak
of
the
disease.

Rupala,
who
was
here
with
a
central
team
to
take
stock
of
the
disease
affected
areas,
on
Saturday
cautioned
people
against
drinking
milk
of
the
affected
cows
and
said
such
animals
should
be
isolated.

“Out
of
five
affected
states
in
the
country,
Rajasthan
is
the
most
affected
with
11
districts
reporting
cases
of
lumpy
skin
disease,”
he
had
told
reporters.

Explained:
What
is
Lumpy
Skin
Disease?
Can
humans
get
infected
with
it?

The
minister
said
the
central
and
state
governments
are
making
serious
efforts
to
prevent
the
spread
of
the
disease
in
cattle
and
will
soon
be
able
to
control
it.

He
said
the
infected
animals
should
be
kept
separate
from
healthy
animals
and
the
vaccination
of
healthy
animals
should
be
done.

Dedicated
isolation
centres
should
be
set
up
for
this
purpose,
he
said.
He
further
said
goat
pox
vaccine
is
completely
effective
to
prevent
this
disease.

Chief
Minister
Ashok
Gehlot
has
appealed
to
donors,
social
workers,
public
representatives,
personnel,
and
all
sections
of
the
society
to
cooperate
financially
for
the
prevention
of
lumpy
skin
disease
spreading
among
animals
of
the
state.

Lumpy
disease
infects
cows
and
buffaloes
mainly
through
vectors
like
blood-feeding
insects.
It
leads
to
the
formation
of
nodes
on
the
animal’s
skin
or
hide
that
look
like
lumps.