Lumpy skin disease strikes calves in Belagavi

Belagavi: The district is once again battling lumpy skin disease, a contagious viral disease that affects cattle, and this time, it is spreading mostly among calves. The department of animal husbandry has commenced vaccination of calves on Monday.This is the third wave of lumpy skin disease. In the first phase, the disease affected local cattle, while the crossbreed cattle were affected in the second phase. In the third phase, it is affecting the calves, especially the cow calf. However, department sources said the severity of the disease has considerably decreased as compared to the first phase.As far as Belagavi district is concerned, the disease has been found in several pockets, mainly in Kittur taluk. Lumpy skin disease is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain types of flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. It causes fever, nodules on the skin and can lead to death, especially among cattle that were not previously exposed to the virus."We started vaccinating calves from Monday. In the district, there are approximately 70,000 calves, and we have planned to complete their vaccination within a week. We received 1.6 lakh doses of vaccination to vaccinate all calves between 4-12 months. The vaccination is not required for a calf below four months because of its naturally strong birth immunity," Rajeev Koler, deputy director of the animal husbandry department told TOI.An officer said the department finished the foot and mouth disease (FMD) vaccination drive on Nov 20, where 12.5 lakh cattle were vaccinated. "Now, we are initiating a lumpy skin vaccination drive under which 5.6 lakh cattle would be covered apart from calves," Rajeev Koler stated.Since lumpy skin is a viral disease, it spreads through the air and the biting of mosquitoes and ticks. The department advised farmers to keep affected cattle in a clean environment and keep them away from other cattle.