Lumpy skin disease reemerges in Odisha; Vets recommend vaccination
The virus has made a re-appearance in the Khurda and Puri districts after a gap of about three and half years.
Union Animal Husbandry Minister Purushottam Rupala on Saturday said that the Central and State Governments were making all out serious efforts together to prevent the spreading of lumpy skin disease in cattle and will soon be able to control it.
Minister allowed the Rajasthan government to use Goat Pox vaccine to control the lumpy skin disease in cattle specially cows.
Describing the efforts being made by the state government to prevent the disease as satisfactory, he assured all possible help from the center, Rupala said while reviewing reviewing the status of lumpy skin disease in the state and the measures being taken for prevention along with the Rajasthan Ministers and departmental officers at Secretariat here.
Rupala said that efforts are being made with full capacity to prevent the spread of this virus-borne disease. He said that the animals which have become infected with it should be kept separate from healthy animals and vaccination of healthy animals should be done.
Dedicated isolation centers should also be set up for this, so that it can help prevent infection and it is easy to get medical and care, he instructed, adding that the goat pox vaccine was completely effective to avoid this disease.
Use a dose of 3 mL of Goat Pox to the most affected area and 1 mL to the animals in the least affected and unaffected area, the Minister advised and assured to give priority along with ensuring the availability of vaccines and medicines.
Advertisement
He asked the State Government to start using SDRF with immediate effect and where permission is required from the Central Government, then a proposal should be sent soon. He said that all the demands of the state would be seriously assessed and help would be given.
Apprising the high level review meeting about the efforts being made by the government for the prevention of lumpy skin disease, Rajasthan Animal Husbandry Minister Lalchand Kataria said the efforts were being made with utmost seriousness and effective monitoring is being done at every level.
Central Animal Husbandry Commissioner Dr. Praveen Malik said that there can be no comparison of lumpy skin virus with coronavirus. Corona is an RNA virus, which keeps changing its form, whereas it is a pox virus. In this, the goat pox vaccine is completely effective, instructions have been given to the manufacturing companies to increase the supply and no shortage of it will be allowed.
The meeting was attended by the Principal Secretary, Agriculture Department, Mr. Dinesh Kumar, RCDF Managing Director Mrs. Sushma Arora, along with officers of Animal Husbandry, Animal Husbandry and Disaster Management Department.
Advertisement
