Lumpy Skin Disease in cattle: 20,000 vaccines to be distributed in DK

Mangaluru: In order to stem the spread of the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in cattle, about 20,000 doses of vaccine against the viral infection have been allotted to Dakshina Kannada district. The vaccines will be dispatched on Monday from Bengaluru and will be distributed from Tuesday onwards.

The first cases of suspected LSD in the district were reported in Biliyoor village in Bantwal taluk. As a priority, vaccines will be first administered in the areas around a 5 km radius of the village and in Gaushalas and then to other areas, officials of the animal husbandry department said.

More doses of the vaccine are likely to be supplied in the near future, they added.

Deputy Director of the Department of Animal Husbandry in Dakshina Kannada, Arun Kumar, told Udayavani, that the disease affects only bovines and does not spread to humans, and other animals such as dogs, cats, etc. Moreover, the milk from the infected cows is perfectly safe from human consumption.

The existence of Lumpy Skin Disease in Dakshina Kannada is yet to be confirmed. The blister fluid samples from the deceased cow have been sent to Bengaluru for analysis. “The report is ye to be received,” he added.