MAHARASHTRA: As many as 42 cows and buffaloes have died due to the onslaught of the Lumpy Skin Disease in Maharashtra, the state's animal husbandry department said on Monday.
A total of 42 infected cattle have died due to Lumpy Skin Disease in different districts of Maharashtra including 17 in Jalgaon, 13 in Ahmednagar, 1 in Dhule, 1 in Akola, 3 in Pune, 3 in Buldhana, 3 in Amravati and 1 in Washim till Sunday, according to the department.
The first case of Lumpy Skin Disease was reported on August 4 in Chinawal village of Raver taluka of Jalgaon district.
The virus has been found only in cows and buffaloes. There is no danger to humans in using milk of animals that do not have the symptoms of the disease. Animals can be cured of the disease, however, the milk of such animals may get affected due to the virus.
The infected cattle with Lumpy Skin Disease have been noticed in a total of 280 villages of Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Akola, Dhule, Pune, Latur, Aurangabad, Beed, Satara, Buldana, Amravati, Osmanabad, Kolhapur, Sangli, Yeotmal, Parbhani, Solapur, Washim, Nashik and Jalna till Sunday.
As per reports, lumpy skin disease is a viral disease that affects cattle. It is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes, or ticks. It causes fever and nodules on the skin and can lead to the death of the cattle.
A vaccine has also been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana) in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).