Lumpy skin disease leaves 159 cattle dead in Rasuwa

Published On: July 20, 2023 04:52 PM NPT By: Republica | @RepublicaNepal

RASUWA, July 20: The lumpy skin disease (LSD) has killed dozens of cattle in Rasuwa district. The increasing outbreak of the contagious animal disease has panicked local farmers with their cattle dying of LSD.

A total of 159 cattle have died lately due to the infection in the district. The lumpy skin disease has broken out in all five rural municipalities of the district. Among them, Gosainkunda Rural Municipality has reported the biggest loss of cattle.

As of now, the lumpy skin contagion has killed 22 yaks and 41 cows of local species in six wards of Gosainkunda, shared Livestock Technical Chief at Syabrubesi in the rural municipality, Suresh Badal.

“Efforts are underway to contain the outbreak of the infectious viral disease. Livestock technicians' teams are being mobilized at wards,” he said.

As many as 800 cattle have been infected with LSD in Gosainkunda alone. Badal stressed the need for keeping the infected cattle in isolation.

The disease has broken out due to the practice of keeping cattle free in open grazing land in highland areas, he said.

Lumpy skin has also caused a loss to the farmers of Naukunda, Kalika and Uttargaya rural municipalities of the district.

Technicians of the concerned rural municipalities in the district informed that as many as 1,500 infected cattle are being treated in other local level areas in the district, except Chhodingmo.

According to Kalika Rural Municipality’s livestock section chief Buddhinath Neupane, a technical team has been deployed in the rural municipalities in the southern belt of Rasuwa for disease control.

As the infection has mostly affected oxen used for plowing, it has a direct bearing on the farmers, affecting paddy plantation.

Information Officer at Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Expert Centre, Nuwakot, Dr Bablu Tharu, said a total of 13,000 cows, oxen and yaks were infected with LSD in Nuwakot and Rasuwa as of July 16.

"A report has come about the death toll of yaks in the Rasuwa highland due to lumpy skin", he said, adding, "Our team is heading to the highland to take stock of the situation there".

Dr Tharu further shared medicines have been deployed in the lumpy skin infected areas for immediate relief. As many as 411 livestock died of the contagious disease in Nuwakot, he informed.