Lumpy Skin Disease

Context: 

With Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Sikkim reporting fresh cases of lumpy skin disease, the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry concluded that it was under control despite 10,000 cases being reported in the past two weeks.

About Lumpy Skin Disease:

• Causative Agent: Capripoxvirus.
  • It is genetically related to the goatpox and sheeppox virus family.
• It  is an emerging threat to livestock worldwide.

• Spread: 

• • The LSD spreads through blood-sucking vectors like ticks and mites like houseflies, mosquitoes, etc. 
  • It also spreads through contaminated water, fodder and feed

• Non-zoonotic disease: It does not spread from animals to humans, and humans cannot get infected with it.
• Signs of infection:  

• • The appearance of circular, firm nodes on the animal’s hide or skin that look similar to lumps.
  • Infected animals immediately start losing weight and may have fever and lesions in the mouth, along with a reduced milk yield. 
  • Excessive nasal and salivary secretion. 

• Pregnant cows and buffaloes often suffer miscarriage and in some cases, diseased animals can die due to it as well.
• How does it lead to death?

1. 1. The virus has caused necrotic vasculitis or death of living tissues in local areas and fibrosis in various organs of infected cattle. 
   2. Such a situation leads to failure of various organs, and eventually death.                                                                                                                          

News Source: The Hindu

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