Tuesday, July 22, 2025

LSD: J&K govt on alert after infection resurfaces in neighboring states

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SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir government has put Animal Husbandry Department on alert after Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) resurfaces in neighboring states.

This follows reports of new wave of infection in different states, Nearly 10,413 active cases have been reported in India till May 18. Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, and Karnataka are the worst hit.

Dr. Purnima Mittal, Director, Animal Husbandry, Kashmir, told The Kashmir Monitor that though there has been no case reported from the valley, they have put the department on alert to deal with any exigency.

“We have not come across any case of LSD in the valley so far. We have put our men and machinery on alert to deal with any exigency. We are monitoring the situation,” she said.

LSD is a viral disease that affects cattle. It is transmitted by flies, mosquitoes, and ticks which act as vectors. It causes fever and skin lumps. It affects milk production among animals. Even after the animals are cured of infection, their milk production remains a concern. Jammu and Kashmir produce around 7.5 lakh liters of milk annually.

Last year, Jammu and Kashmir was one of the few states and union territories that inoculated the entire cattle population to keep the virus at bay. “We vaccinated around nine lakh animals out of 9.5 lakh population,” said Dr Mittal.

Official figures reveal that 56,146 cattle contracted the infection in Jammu and Kashmir till November 24, 2022. Of which 1564 animals died. All 20 districts of the union territory were affected by LSD.

“Those who had recovered after contracting the infection were not jabbed because they had developed immunity. So the vaccines were not prescribed for those animals who were not infected. Vaccines were administered free of cost to all animals,” said Dr. Mittal.

In December, Administrative Council approved relief for distressed cattle farmers. The government decided to bear the medical expenses up to Rs. 10,000. Provision of free of cost veterinary medicines has also been made to ease the financial burden of the farmers.

“We have constituted teams that are visiting different areas. We have also asked the farmers to report any sign of infection to the nearby unit or visiting team. We are fully geared up to tackle any infection,” said Dr. Mittal