Lumpy virus threat looms large in Hamirpur, Una districts of Himachal

Animal husbandry department has sounded alarm in Una and Hamirpur districts against the threat of lumpy virus, found among cows and buffaloes, officials said on Wednesday.

The authorities alerted the two districts following the reports of outbreak of the virus in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Lumpy skin disease is an infectious disease caused among cattle by lumpy virus. The infection causes formation of knots in the body of animals, which also suffer from weight loss, fluid discharges from the mouth, high fever and reduced milk, as the condition worsens.

Nearly 25,000 animals were affected by lumpy virus in Hamirpur and Una district last year, with about 1,209 animals dying in Una alone.

A spokesman of the Animal husbandry department said on Wednesday that the animal husbandry department in Una district has geared up against the disease.

The department has appealed to the dairy farmers to get their animals vaccinated and have asked them to not buy and sell animals from neighbouring states.

Una Deputy Director, the Animal Husbandry Department, Dr Jai Singh Sen said that the department is fully prepared to deal with the lumpy virus.

He said the vaccine is available absolutely free of cost in all veterinary institutes of the district. "Don't buy and sell animals from Lumpy affected areas," Sen stressed.

He also appealed to the cattle rearers to immediately report any symptoms such as high fever, loss of appetite, loss of milk and thick lumps in the skin in their cattle to the nearest veterinary hospital or pharmacy.

He said that this year so far not a single case of this disease has been reported in Una district.