A sense of panic continues among farmers about lumpy skin disease (LSD) that many cattle are infected with, despite assurance by scientists, with people wary of feeding milk from infected cattle to children. As per the 20th livestock census, there are around 29.5 million heads of cattle in Karnataka. Officers suspect that the virus has spread to at least 5% of the cattle across districts.
Scientists, however, say there is no cause for panic. “Lack of proper information seems to be the major problem leading to panic among farmers,’‘ B.V. Shivaprakash, director or research, Karnataka Veterinary, Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Sciences University, said.
He said that the university had submitted a proposal of ₹ 1.5 crore to the State government to develop a fresh LSD vaccine. “Once it is approved, we will start producing our own vaccine and have our own manufacturing facilities,’‘ he said. Two years ago, the virus infection was seen only in a few pockets in a few States. But this time, it has spread to several States, he added.
Meanwhile, the State government has fixed a target of procuring 10 million doses of the LSD vaccine for cows, buffaloes, bulls and calves in the State. At least half of this will be manufactured in the State-run Institute of Animal Health and Veterinary Biologicals in Bengaluru. The vaccine molecule and the technology will be taken from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute that developed the vaccine over a decade ago.
“The State government has released enough funds to IAHVB to manufacture vaccines. The first round of vaccination is nearly complete,” Prabhu Chauhan, Minister for Animal Husbandry, told The Hindu. According to him, the government is planning universal vaccination over a period of two years. “I have requested the Chief Minister to give us extra funds to create our own vaccine and vaccinate all our animals,’‘ he said.
Dr. Shivaprakash explained that unlike rabies, brucellosis, or COVID, LSD is not a zoonotic disease. “It does not spread from animals to humans. It is a self-limiting disease caused by a virus. The fatality rates are very low. The virus does not spread to humans, though spreads to cattle in proximity,” he said.
Panic selling of cattle
There is some attempt at panic selling of cattle with visible signs of the disease among farmers in north Karnataka.
“The problems of farmers is complicated because of ban on cattle slaughter. Farmers are not allowed to sell to slaughter houses or agents of slaughter houses. Several farmers are forced to come back from village fairs, as they are unable to sell their animals,’‘ said Sidagouda Modagi, Krishik Samaj president. He asked the State government to carry out an awareness creation programme in villages about LSD.
