LSD epidemic: First consignment of vaccine arrives from Turkey

Karachi: Sindh DG livestock has confirmed the arrival of the first consignment of 1.1 million LSD vaccine doses out of a total of 4million in Karachi from Turkey, ARY News reported. 

The government on Wednesday had directed the country’s drug authority to allow the import of vaccines without wasting time. The government had taken the step to control the spread and curb the impacts of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in cattle.

The Director-General of the Department of livestock Doctor Nazir said that the batch of 1.1 million LSD vaccines is a part of a 4 million vaccines import program from Turkey.

Dr Nazir added that the LSD vaccines have been handed over to the Department of Livestock and Fisheries Sindh. The 1.1 million vaccines will be distributed among LSD hit districts of Sindh, he added. 

Also Read: The LSD epidemic spreads to buffaloes too!

The spread of LSD among cattle across Sindh had caused severe financial damages to the meat and dairy merchants of the metropolitan. 

On March 26, the Meat Merchant Association (MMA) of Karachi had said that meat consumption decreased by 70% in the metropolis and demanded an investigation into the spread of LSD.

The epidemic had reportedly started infecting buffaloes across different cities of Sindh too. The Department of Livestock and Fisheries Sindh had confirmed the detection of the disease in buffaloes. 

The lumpy skin disease is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes, or ticks. It causes fever, and nodules beneath the skin and can also lead to death, according to experts.

Originally found in Africa, lumpy skin disease, a viral infection of cattle, had also spread to countries in the Middle East, Asia, and eastern Europe, experts said.