The Animal Husbandry Department is in firefighting mode with rise in the number of cases of lumpy skin disease among cattle in several parts of Ernakulam and and other districts in the State. A veterinary department official said that the disease, caused by capripox virus, did not result in high mortality rate but morbidity among affected animals was a serious threat to dairying.
Lumpy skin disease results in severe pain for animals and eruptions on the skin. The disease does not spread from animals to humans but spread quickly from animal to animal via carriers.
The symptoms of the disease were visible about a week ago but it has been confirmed only this week. The district authorities have not yet reported the number of confirmed cases. But cases cases had been confirmed in Rayamangalam and Maradi panchayats, said John Theruvath, chairman of Ernakulam Regional Cooperative Milk Producers’ Union, which has issued instructions to dairy farmers to take steps to prevent the spread of the disease. He said that preventive measures like better hygienic handling of animals had been suggested.
Sources said that the disease was being reported in Kerala for the first time and that the Uttarkashi strain of goatpox was being deployed for vaccination.
Mr. John said that the viral disease had so far not posed any threat to milk production. However, he said that farmers had been advised to take care and to resort to control measures.
There are around 42,000 dairy farmers under about a thousand primary milk societies affiliated to the regional milk union in Ernakulam spread over Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam and Thrissur.
Daily procurement is to the tune of three lakh litres with a deficit of about 70,000. The deficit is being met through imports from neighbouring States like Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. However, supplies from these States were drying up with a hike in the price of milk there, Mr. John added.
