LSD: Meat consumption dropped by 70%, Karachi butchers demand probe

KARACHI: Meat Merchant Association (MMA) of Karachi said on Friday that meat consumption has decreased by 70% in the metropolis and demanded an investigation into the spread of LSD, ARY News reported. 

The spread of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) should be investigated, the Meat Merchants demanded. 

In a statement issued by the Meat Merchant Association, the union also praised the efforts by DOW University and Sindh government to curb the situation. The Meat Merhcents have been the most affected people due to the LSD epidemic, it added.

The Meat Merchants Association added that Meat consumption in the metropolitan has plummeted to less than 1,000 animals per day, which is only 30% of the consumption before the epidemic. 

The statement added that the rapid spread of the disease among the cattle should be investigated by the Director-General Livestock. The Association is ready to cooperate with the government and other authorities to curb the ongoing epidemic. 

Also Read: The LSD epidemic spreads to buffaloes too!

Earlier, the Department of Livestock and fisheries Sindh had confirmed that the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) has spread its radius and started infecting buffaloes across different cities of Sindh too. 

However, a leading medical institute of Karachi DOW hospital had announced the development of a vaccine to curb the LSD epidemic. The vaccine was developed by a collaboration between DOW hospital and the Department of Livestock and Fisheries Sindh. 

LSD origin

The lumpy skin disease is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes, or ticks. It causes fever, 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.