ANOTHER addition to the growing list
of new maladies is the buffalo pox
disease. The recent outbreak of the
disease in Beed district of Maharashtra has raised concerns among
Indian scientists about man-to-
man transmission of buffalo pox
virus. According to the scientists,
there was nothing alarming about
the recent outbreak which had
affected five infants in Beed. The
scientists have however cautioned
against the virus which is a relatively
harmless cousin of the small pox virus.
it causes ulcers in the teats and
udders of buffaloes and renders them
unproductive.
Humans coming in close contact
with the infected animals contract
the virus which produces mild
fever, pock lesions in hands and occasional swelling of the lymph nodes.
Till now, no man-to-man transmission
had ever been reported. But investigations by scientists at the National
Institute of Virology in pone, showed
the affected infants had never
gone anywhere near buffaloes. They
could only have got the virus from
their parents.
We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.
Comments are moderated and will be published only after the site moderator’s approval. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name. Selected comments may also be used in the ‘Letters’ section of the Down To Earth print edition.