Skin disease affects 250 heads of cattle

The Animal Husbandry Department is conducting special camps to control lumpy skin disease in cattle.

The viral disease surfaced in Karaikal after a gap of five years. The department, backed by the district administration and ATMA (Agriculture Technology Management Agency), has been conducting camps to administer antibiotic injections to the cattle in order to prevent secondary bacterial infection due to the abscess caused by the virus on the skin, udder, knee and genital parts.

Eight of the 15 medical camps have been conducted envisaging dissemination of management practices, Regional Joint Director of Animal Husbandry and Animal Welfare Department, G. Latha Mangeshkar, said.

‘So far, about 250 out of 18,500 heads of cattle have been found to be infected. The cattle owners are apprised of management practices during the camp, alongside antibiotic treatment for the animals,’ the official said adding that lumpy skin was a non-zoonotic infection.

Since there is no vaccine for the virus, cattle owners are being advised to strengthen immunity and reduce temperature of the infected animals by feeding them with a mixture of betel leaves, pepper, salt and jaggery.

On the first day, the mixture has to be given once in every three hours and the treatment must continue thrice a day from the second day onwards until the fever subsides. The seven remaining medical camps are to be conducted before August 20.