June 24, 2022

Lumpy skin disease kills over 300 cows in Punjab, Pakistan

Over 300 cows have died of lumpy skin disease and hundreds of others affected by the viral infection in Pakistan's Punjab province, The Hindu reported on June 18.

According to farmers in Bahawalnagar, some 300 kilometres from Lahore, their cattle started getting infected with the disease weeks ago. The farmers claimed they approached the district administration and the livestock department but they did not respond.

"Private veterinary doctors treated the ailing cattle but they couldn't survive. Over 300 cows worth millions of rupees died within three weeks," said farmer Khalid Hasnain. He added that the disease is still spreading in the area.

"If the authorities concerned do not take immediate steps, a large number of cattle may be killed by the disease," he said, adding that the the government should pay special attention to the matter.

Punjab Livestock Department official Rizwana Chaudhry said the non-availability of vaccination - goat pox - was one of the reasons for the spread of lumpy skin disease.

"The department doesn't have enough funds to acquire the vaccine for the cattle. We have managed to vaccinate 42,000 cattle in the affected district," she said.

Over 1,100 cattle, most of them cows, have been affected by the disease in Bahawalnagar.

- The Hindu