Andhra Pradeshhas so far vaccinated about 38 lakh cattle out of the total 46 lakh animals in the state against the lumpy skin disease (LSD). The state, which recorded only two cases by the end of August, has detected nearly 10,000LSDcases in the last 45 days, including a death.
LSD in cattle and buffaloes is characterised by mild fever for two to three days, followed by development of stiff, round cutaneous nodules (2 to 5 cm in diameter) all over the body.
Although the infected animals often recover within two to three weeks, there will be a reduction in milk yield in lactating cattle for several weeks. Despite restriction orders on transportation of cattle and fairs due to the LSD, the unauthorised shandies in remote rural areas have become a challenge for the officials in the containment of the disease.
The Union Government, in an advisory, asked the states to enforce requisite biosecurity measures in letter and spirit to control the spread of the disease. One of the critical measures suggested in the advisory is to identify the infected villages to carry out precautionary plans in the specific area and ringvaccinationin a five-kilometre radius around the affected villages.