KATHMANDU, July 8: The Department of Livestock Services (DoHS) has sought more actions on the part of local governments to contain lumpy skin disease among the cattle. It has urged them to be proactive in purchasing medicines and vaccines against the disease. 

Issuing a press statement on Friday, DoHS Director General Dr Samjhana Kumari Kafle urged for the same. The DoHS has provided Rs 100,000 in grant to the local government marred by the epidemic of lumpy skin to undertake the containment measures. So far, 25,872 cattle died of the lumpy skin epidemic that had spread since March-April (Chait, 2079 BS). 

The DoHS has said it had assigned a focal person at the province and local levels to undertake containment efforts against the disease. To date, 453,819 cattle have been recovered from the disease and the number of active cases is 229,602. The epidemic that began from the Koshi Province has so far spread to 76 districts. While 180,922 affected animals have been vaccinated and the DoHS has the stock of 70037 vaccines against lumpy skin. 

Lumpy skin originally found in Africa is caused by a capripox virus. Fever, excessive salivation, lachrymation and skin eruptions are among the signs of the disease. Its virus is primarily transmitted by biting insects such as mosquitoes, flies and ticks. 

(RSS)

 
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