SAVE ANIMALS – LUMPY SKIN DISEASE VIRUS (LSD) OUTBREAK

About Virus ~ History & Geography

Lumpy Skin Disease Virus – LSD- popularly known as Lumpy Virus is capripoxvirus & it mainly infects cattle: cow and its progeny, and the Asian water buffalo. Tough Sheep virus & Goat virus do exist from the same family of virus but they are somewhat different from the Lumpy virus. This virus creates Lumpy skin disease – a viral infection of cattle. Originally found in Africa, it has also spread to countries in the Middle East, Asia, and eastern Europe. Clinical signs include fever, lacrimation, hypersalivation, and characteristic skin eruptions. Diagnosis is by histopathology, virus isolation, or PCR. Attenuated vaccines may help control outbreaks.

Lumpy skin disease is an infectious, eruptive, occasionally fatal disease of cattle characterized by nodules on the skin and other parts of the body. Secondary bacterial infection often aggravates the condition. Traditionally, lumpy skin disease is found in southern and eastern Africa, but in the 1970s it extended northwest through the continent into subSaharan west Africa. Since 2000, it has spread to several countries of the Middle East and in 2013 extended west into Turkey and several countries in the Balkans. More recently, outbreaks of lumpy skin disease were reported for the first time in Georgia, Russia, Bangladesh, and the People’s Republic of China, India. The recent geographic spread of lumpy skin disease has caused international concern. The disease has not been recorded in the Western hemisphere or in Australia or New Zealand.

Present Situation

It’s a sad story that this virus is not new but till today no proper research & development is seen by the pharma companies, veterinary medicines seems less profitable compared to Allopathic medicines & nor the governments as usual seems to be interested in Animal welfare globally. But today most urgent medical emergency is required by the governments especially in and around Indian subcontinent – India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri  Lanka, as in this countries very high level of livestock concentration of the world can be found & as well complete negligence is seen in Animal care & treatments in this countries. Most importantly the Right wing Hindutva ideology led BJP Modi government is today ruling India, which is known to be winning political elections by announcing Cow as their Mother & thus attracting Hindu voters, as Cow is considered to be the sacred animal in Hindu philosophy. But by seeing the pathetic condition of cows in India when Modi government should have taken task on its toes to announce it a medical emergency by giving special fund allocation with medical rules to states to effectively deal with Lumpy virus,,but this effort is totally missing till now by Modi government and therefore now question arises – This is how Modi govt. treat its so called (Cow) Mother? Big Shame!

Yash Singh

(Author is Public Relations,Media & Elections Campaign-Management Advisor & a seasoned Banker reachable @YashSinghINC #Twitter)