Hundreds of cattle had died last year from LSD in various districts of Bihar
Lumpy Skin Disease is a viral illness that causes prolonged morbidity in cattle and buffaloes. Photo: Pradip Saha / CSE The Bihar government sounded an alert and issued an advisory May 6, 2021 about the likely spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD), a viral illness that causes prolonged morbidity in cattle and buffaloes.
The state’s animal and fishery department has alerted all districts about the likely spread of LSD. It has instructed concerned officials to monitor and be fully prepared to deal with the situation. It also asked them to keep a close watch on bovine health and behaviour.
The department has also issued a helpline number for cattle owners to call to access all possible information and help.
Mukesh Shahni, Bihar’s animal and fisheries minister told this reporter that his department was fully prepared to help cattle owners prevent the disease’s spread. “We have been taking every possible preventive measure to control the disease spread,” he said.
The government has also been arranging medicines required for emergency treatment of cattle, according to department officials. The department is using social media to share preventive measures and create awareness among cattle owners on how to protect their livestock from LSD.
“All district veterinary hospitals across Bihar are directed to be ready for treatment of LSD,” officials said. Vijay Kumar, a veterinary doctor said cattle owners should be aware that cattle with weak immunity were particularly vulnerable to LSD.
Hundreds of cattle had died last year from LSD in the Katihar, Purnea, Araria, Kishanganj, Saharsa, Madhepura, Supaul and Darbhanga districts. The department has not yet confirmed cases of LSD in the state. But reliable sources told this reporter that the disease had very much hit animals in certain districts of Bihar.
LSD has spread to 15 states of India within just 16 months. The country is home to 303 million head of cattle, the largest in the world.
In fact, in August 2019, when the first outbreak of LSD was reported from Odisha, five districts were grappling with an outbreak of exotic cattle pox.
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