DUHS TO PREPARE VACCINE AGAINST LUMPY SKIN DISEASE

KARACHI: The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) on Thursday announced to prepare a vaccine to prevent lumpy skin disease in cattle.

According to details, the DUHS will prepare a vaccine against Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in collaboration with Sindh Livestock Department.

The LSD epidemic continues its onslaught in Sindh as 10 more domestic animals died within two days, taking the tally to 250.

According to the statistics issued by the Taskforce, the number of cattle infected by LSD has gone up to 28,453. The number of animals who died after contracting LSD has also gone up to 250, the stats said.

The Sindh government had decided to shut down cattle markets across the province amid the emergence of the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) epidemic caused by a vector-borne virus.

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

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.

According to an alert “Human disease has not been well documented. Consuming meat or milk doesn’t transmit the infection to human,” it said. However, it advised that food safety should be ensured which included consumption of only pasteurised or well-boiled milk and milk products, thorough cooking of meat, and proper washing of hands with soap and water after handling meat.