The COVID-19 pandemic has been undoubtedly cruel to the farmers in India. Since late March, they have struggled to harvest their produces due to labour shortages and those who managed to harvest failed to take it to the wholesalers and markets due to the lockdown.
From across the country, we saw farmers throwing away their crops and cattle farmers dumping hundreds of litres of milk on the road as they could not sell it.
While this was happening, farmers in Assam were facing an additional thereat - swine flu. The highly contagious disease that can be transmitted to humans had killed thousand of pigs in the state.
Now another highly infectious disease is haunting farmers in Assam after lumpy skin disease (LSD) was reported from parts of the state.
Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an infectious viral disease of cattle and buffaloes caused by the Capripox virus of family Poxviridae. It is transmitted by arthropod vectors such as mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks.
The disease is characterized by mild fever for two-three days followed by the development of stiff, round cutaneous nodules (two-five cm in diameter) on the skin all over the body. These nodules are circumscribed, firm, round, raised, and involves the skin, subcutaneous tissue, and sometimes, muscles.
Since June, when the disease was first reported in the state, cases have surfaced from Cachar, Karimganj, and Hailakandi in the Barak Valley and Kamrup in the Brahmaputra Valley.
The disease originated in Africa has now spread across Europe and parts of Asia. In India, it was first reported from Odisha.?
There is no treatment for the virus, so prevention by vaccination is the most effective means of control.
While the mortality rate of LSD is low it can result in reduced milk yield, loss of condition, and rejection or reduced value of the hide.
Following the outbreak, the state government has already issued an advisory.
¡°This is to inform that there are reports of cattle and buffaloes suffering from a disease condition showing symptoms of the eruption of round cutaneous nodules on the skin all over the body. These may be suspect cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), an OIE notifiable disease of bovines and first notification of the disease in the country has already been submitted from some districts of Odisha,¡± the advisory stated.
Following the outbreak in Assam, neighbouring Nagaland has issued an alert to farmers and veterinarians in the state.