ANOTHER addition to the growing listof new maladies is the buffalo poxdisease. The recent outbreak of thedisease in Beed district of Maharashtra has raised concerns amongIndian scientists about man-to-man transmission of buffalo poxvirus. According to the scientists,there was nothing alarming aboutthe recent outbreak which hadaffected five infants in Beed. Thescientists have however cautionedagainst the virus which is a relativelyharmless cousin of the small pox virus.it causes ulcers in the teats andudders of buffaloes and renders themunproductive.
Humans coming in close contactwith the infected animals contractthe virus which produces mildfever, pock lesions in hands and occasional swelling of the lymph nodes.Till now, no man-to-man transmissionhad ever been reported. But investigations by scientists at the NationalInstitute of Virology in pone, showedthe affected infants had nevergone anywhere near buffaloes. Theycould only have got the virus fromtheir parents.