LSDV has killed more than 67,000 cattle. Goat pox and sheep pox to treat lumpy virus
Lumpy skin disease:
Lumpy skin disease is an infectious viral disease that affects the circulatory system of cattle and domestic water buffaloes. It is a double-stranded DNA virus caused by a virus of the genus Capripoxvirus within the family Poxviridae. It is transmitted between cattle by blood-feeding insects, certain species of flies and mosquitoes or ticks. It may take up to 6 months for LSD affected to recover. It may also lead to death if the affected animal has not been exposed to the virus before.
When was it first identified:
 Lumpy skin disease was identified in Zambia in 1929 and was present in many African countries. Later it spread progressively from the Middle East to Southeast Europe and recently in South Asia and China confirming outbreaks.
Lumpy skin disease in India:
Lumpy skin disease among cattle is getting wider and it has killed over 67,000 cattle in eight states of India. The first outbreak of lumpy skin virus was reported from Odisha in August 2019.
 Scientists at the CSIR-IGIB and the State Disease Diagnostic Centre, Jaipur, reported after analysing and comparing genomes of the virus extracted from the five affected animals that the “six genomes showed ‘little similarity to global genomes’ compared with the genetic sequence of the earlier outbreak of the virus.
 IGIB study also suggests that the virus appeared to evolve within a single host and that results in the increased infectivity of the LSD virus compared to the 2019 outbreak.
 Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh are the worst affected states by the LSD virus. Currently the goat pox and sheep pox vaccines are only available for treating LSD virus.
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Isolation of the LSD virus-infected animals from healthy animals is an attempt to prevent the spread of the virus.
               Lumpy skin disease virus affects the production of milk the cheapest protein source. This affects dairy farmers.
Symptoms of Lumpy skin disease:
- Nodular skin lesions on head, neck, chest, abdomen, perineum, genitalia, udder and limbs.
- Fever
- Lymph nodes become enlarged
- Loss of appetite
- Drop in milk production
- Poor growth
- Low mortality
 Control measures:
- Pre-emptive vaccination of cattle
- Restriction and quarantine of susceptible animals
- Stamping out a policy as soon as the first detection of the virus – is an option to reduce the spread of the virus
- Vector control
- Cleanliness of the herd
