Two cows recovered from lumpy skin disease, get fully-vaxxed

Mumbai: After testing positive for lumpy skin disease, two cows in Aarey recovered and received full vaccination against the viral infection.

Updating on the health of the infected cows, Dr Shailesh Pethe, deputy commissioner, Animal Husbandry said, “Both the animals have totally recovered and are doing fine now. As of now, as many as 1,028 bovine animals in Aarey have been vaccinated. There are a total of 3,226 bovines in the city, out of which 3,026 received vaccinations.”

Dr Shailesh also informed that a cow in Khar also tested positive for the infection but its full treatment is done and the cow is recovering well.

Lumpy skin disease is a zoonotic disease, said Dr Pethe, and does not affect or transmit to humans in any form. He requested citizens not to panic and added that the disease does not affect any dairy products consumed by humans.

According to the cattle census of 2019, there are 3,226 bovine animals and 24,388 buffaloes in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) area. Vaccination of remaining bovine animals will be completed by this week, said officials.

Dr Kalimpasha Pathan, head of the Veterinary Department of BMC, said that in the background of lumpy skin disease, a survey of bovine and buffalo-class animals has already been started by the BMC. The Pest Control Department of the civic body is taking appropriate measures to ensure pest control is done in the cow sheds, he added.

Dr Pathan also informed that bovine and buffalo-class animal owners whose animals are not vaccinated should contact BMC’s veterinary health department.

Union animal husbandry Minister Sanjeev Balyan on Wednesday said about 18.5 lakh bovines are affected across the country by lumpy skin disease.

The disease was first reported in India in August 2019 in the state of Odisha. After that, the disease was found in the states of Jharkhand, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. In Maharashtra, the spread of this disease was observed in Sironcha town of Gadchiroli district in March 2020. A definite diagnosis of the epidemic was made at the National Diagnostic Laboratory in Bhopal.