32 LSD cases reported in Gurugram, highest single day spike so far
The district on Tuesday reported 32 new cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD), the highest single-day jump so far, taking the tally to 94 cases since the first case was reported on August 23 in Pataudi
The district on Tuesday reported 32 new cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD), the highest single-day jump so far, taking the tally to 94 cases since the first case was reported on August 23 in Pataudi.
In view of the rising cases, the Gurugram administration had formed 25 teams comprising veterinary doctors to check on the cattle population in the district. Dr Punita Gahlawat, deputy director of animal husbandry and dairying department, Haryana, said cases entered double digit numbers from August 27 when 11 cases were reported.
According to state data, so far, 76,111 cases of LSD have been reported in Haryana. The highest number of cases have been reported from Yamunanagar (14,763), followed by Ambala (12,266) and Kurukshetra (10,373).
As per the department, all 94 cases detected from 24 areas of the district were reported by cattle owners and dairy farmers. “The department has sent 94 suspected samples to a Bhopal-based laboratory for confirmation; the reports are awaited,” said Gahlawat.
According to officials, LSD is found to cause chronic debility, reduced milk production, poor growth, lack of appetite, infertility, and abortion among cattle. The disease does not affect humans, officials said.
In order to curb the spread of LSD, on August 21, the Gurugram district administration invoked Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and imposed a ban on intradistrict and interdistrict transport of cattle, and also imposed a ban on holding animal fairs and sale and purchase of cattle until further orders
Authorities across the state have ramped up vaccination of cattle. They have also issued advisories to cattle owners and cow shelters to ensure proper fogging around areas where cattle are kept as certain species of blood-sucking vectors such as mosquitoes, ticks, houseflies, etc can increase the spread of LSD.
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar said, “Like Covid, Haryana is working seriously to control the spread of LSD. Sufficient availability of vaccinations has been ensured at every level to control the spread of this infection affecting cattle. So far, 245,249 cows have been vaccinated against this disease. Regular meetings with the concerned officers are being held for effective disease control.”
Alleviating fears that the disease may spread to humans, the chief minister said cattle owners should not be afraid as the virus does not spread to humans, even if they are in contact with sick cattle.
Dr Sukhdev Rathee, deputy director of animal husbandry and dairying department, Haryana, said the department has vaccinated 1.168 million cattle so far and aims to vaccinate the rest in the coming four or five days.
“There are 638 cow shelters across the state and cattle in 85% of these shelters have been vaccinated. The state shares a border with Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab and, since Day One officials have been monitoring the movement of cattle and ensuring that bovines entering the state are placed under quarantine in special wards/sheds,” he said.
Rathee added that the state has a 60% recovery rate at present.
In Nuh, 389 cattle have been found infected and in the past three days, four of them have succumbed to the infection.
Dr Narender Singh Yadav, deputy director, Animal Husbandry, Nuh, said there are 30,500 cattle in the district, of which 25,500 have been vaccinated. “The teams have been directed to vaccinate the rest. We are using replant on their bodies to ensure there is no secondary infection and antibiotics are being administered to them. The affected cattle have been shifted to isolation sheds,” he said.