Thursday, 10 August 2023 | PNS | PITHORAGARH
The lumpy skin disease (LSD), a vector-borne malady affecting the cattle, is spreading fast in a village just six kms away from Berinag tehsil in Pithoragarh district, resulting in hundreds of bovines getting infected by the dreaded virus. The villagers alleged that a large number of bovines died due to this viral infection, landing the dairy farmers in grave financial loss and yet nothing is being done on the ground to control the spread of this disease through vaccination or other means.
“The cattle are dying due to lack of treatment and in this grim situation, the veterinary hospital located in the tehsil headquarters remains unfazed. Even the animal husbandry department is taking no effective step to arrest the spread of this disease,” said the worried villagers. They said that most of them earn living through agriculture and livestock farming and they keep incurring losses with the viral malady affecting cows and buffalos in increasing numbers. They said that they had met the additional district magistrate to apprise him of their plight. “Some of us have had our cattle treated at our own expenses, but our efforts have come to nothing as the infection and death spree involving the cattle continues unabated,” a villager said.
The villages like Kheti, Mantoli, Kahkot, Bhandari village, Gurena, Vyati, Dhari and Kalsindhar are the worst affected in this part of Pithoragarh district. As per information received, LSD is spreading in other parts of Pithoragarh district and in neighbouring Bageshwar district with the outbreak taking the form of epidemic.
According to the veterinarians, the LSD spreads from one infected animal to others very fast. It reduces milk production and if not treated in time, it may result in the death of the infected animals, they said. They further said that this viral disease is spread by blood-sucking insects, some species of mosquito and also animal bites.
