‘37 thousand cattle vaccinated, official’
KD NEWS SERVICE
KUPWARA, Oct 8: Almost 100 cattle died due to Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in North Kashmir’s Kupwara district.
The locals said that at least 100 cattle died so far while a good number of them got affected due to lumpy skin disease. However, officials said that around 68 deaths occurred due to the disease and more than 900 animals have been affected so far.
He also said that more than 37000 cattle have been vaccinated so far, however, 1,32,000 cattle are yet to get vaccinated. There are multiple teams working on ground to assess the situation and to provide necessary treatment to the affected animals, he added.
Reports reaching here said that between Wayun Gulgam and Kupwara forest area the people are leaving these dead animals there, causing the disease to spread further.
“Instead of doing this, they should adopt a burial protocol so that the disease will not spread further,” the official said. He also urged people to follow the protocol in burying dead cattle.
Notably, Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle and causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death. The official advised farmers to dig at least 10 feet deep pits for burying carcasses of animals that died due to the disease following which fogging and spraying of particular disinfectants and proper sanitisation should be done.
Earlier, the Directorate of Extension S.K. University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Kashmir, Shalimar issued advisory against disease and appealed people to remain cautious.
“Since the disease can spread through vector bites, insect breeding places like stagnant water, and manure pits need to be properly managed,” it said, adding that observe the animals for common symptoms of the disease like high fever, nodules on the skin, mucous membranes, anorexia/off feed, emaciation, drop in milk yield, enlarged lymph nodes, edema of the skin, salivation, ocular and nasal discharge, conjunctivitis.
The SKUAST also advised people that if any or all of the above symptoms are noticed, immediately isolate the animal as the disease may spread to other animals through vector bites like mosquitoes, flies, ticks besides contact with infected material like nodules, saliva, blood, ocular/nasal discharge and call for veterinary assistance for vaccination and treatment—(KNS/KNO)
