Gujarat government has begun immunizing cattle against the dreaded Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) found in milch cattle, according to the State agriculture and animal husbandry department. LSD, which is caused by the pox virus and believed to be spread by blood-feeding insects such as mosquitoes, bees/flies, and others, currently has no treatment, so cattle vaccination is the only effective way to control the spread.
Gujarat reported the first LSD cases in June and July of last year. LSD cases were reported from 11 districts in the Saurashtra-Kutch and South Gujarat regions of Gujarat, according to Raghavji Patel, Gujarat's Minister for Agriculture and Animal Husbandry.
"Symptoms of Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle have been reported in Devbhumi Dwarka, Jamnagar, Kutch, Rajkot, Porbandar, Surendranagar, Junagadh, Morbi, Bhavnagar, Amreli, and Surat."
We have begun extensive LSD vaccination with a sufficient supply of vaccine doses on hand. "Approximately 3 lakh cattle have been vaccinated so far," said the Minister. Gujarat has approximately 95 lakh cows and buffalo.
Hester Biosciences Limited, based in Ahmedabad, is the first company in India to develop and commercialize an LSD vaccine. It began supplying Gujarat after obtaining permission from the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry, Government of India, to repurpose its goat pox vaccine for LSD.
According to Hester Biosciences, government advisories have advised to "use the Goat Pox vaccine in higher dosage to protect, prevent, and reduce mortality due to LSD." Hester produces Goat Pox vaccine, which is recommended for use in cattle and buffaloes at 3ml per dose."
"Hester has enough Goat Pox vaccine on hand, as well as other complementary products. It has prepared to produce additional quantities of Goat Pox vaccine for immunization and LSD prevention, as well as its complementary products, in the event of an outbreak," According to the company, complementing therapies such as the antibiotic CuRx Inj (Enrofloxacin+Ketoprofen) are very effective and helpful in the current LSD outbreak.
LSD symptoms include skin inflammation or nodules, as well as chronic debility in affected animals; decreased milk production, poor growth, infertility, and abortion. In extreme cases, it results in the animal's death.
The disease can affect any age group of animals. It is therefore recommended that all healthy animals, regardless of age group, be vaccinated once every two years until the disease is no longer considered endemic in the country.
LSD has a significant direct economic impact on dairy farmers, with their costs rising due to antibiotic treatment and use. The National Dairy Development Board (NDDD) has been promoting an ethnoveterinary LSD formulation that can be administered to affected animals.
