Lumpy skin disease is rapidly spreading among cattle in India and cases have so far been reported in as many as eight states of the country.

Since the start of July, over 67,000 cattle have died due to the disease which has prompted the government to take notice and initiate a massive vaccination drive.

The lumpy skin disease is a viral disease that mainly affects cows. The lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) belongs to the capripoxvirus genus in the poxviridae family.

It is spread by the insects that feed on blood like mosquitoes, ticks and certain types of flies. The disease also spreads through contaminated fodder and water.

The symptoms include fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death, especially in animals that have not been previously exposed to the virus.

India’s first case of the lumpy skin disease was reported on April 23 in the Kutch region of Gujarat.

The disease spread rapidly in Gujarat and nearby states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

The secretary of the animal husbandry and dairying department of Rajasthan, Jatindra Nath Swain said, “In Rajasthan, the number of death is 600-700 per day. But in other states, it is less than 100 in a single day.”

Meanwhile, the Centre has started the administration of the ‘goat pox vaccine’ to all cattle in the affected states. The government said that the vaccine is “100 per cent effective” against the disease.

As many as 1.5 crore doses have already been administered in the eight states that have reported cases of the virus so far. It may be noted that the total number of cattle in India is estimated at around 20 crore.

The country has also indigenously developed a vaccine named ‘Lumpi-ProVacInd’ for the lumpy disease. It is being manufactured by two companies who are producing 4 crore doses a month.