Delhi has logged a total of 531 cases of lumpy skin disease so far and 206 cattle have recovered from the infection, officials said on Wednesday. The number of active cases stands at 325.
An official from the animal husbandry department said the government has procured 25,000 doses of goat pox vaccine to inoculate healthy cattle in the capital to prevent the spread of the disease.
"The vaccination drive will start in three to four days. More doses are expected to arrive soon. These doses will be administered free of cost," he said. Delhi has a cattle population of 80,000.
The government will adopt the ring vaccination strategy in which healthy cattle in a 5 km radius of the affected areas will be given goat pox vaccine with the Uttarkashi strain of the virus, he said.
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The authorities had for the first time reported cases of lumpy skin disease in the capital on September 11. The first case was detected at the end of August. In Delhi, most cases of lumpy skin disease have been detected in the southwest Delhi district -- in Goyla dairy area, Rewla Khanpur area, Ghumanhera and Najafgarh.
The Delhi government has deployed four mobile veterinary clinics and set up 11 rapid response teams to collect samples. Four teams are creating awareness of the virus among people. The city government has also set up a special control room with helpline number 8287848586 for queries related to the disease.
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An isolation ward has been set up in Rewla Khanpur Gau Sadan in southwest Delhi for stray cattle suffering from lumpy skin disease. The cow shelter can accommodate 4,500 cattle.
Lumpy skin disease is a contagious viral disease that spreads among cattle through mosquitoes, flies, lice and wasps by direct contact, as also through contaminated food and water. It does not transmit from cattle to humans.
The symptoms include high fever, reduced milk production, skin nodules, loss of appetite, increased nasal discharge and watery eyes, among others. According to the Centre, the disease has spread in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.
(With PTI inputs)
