Lumpy skin disease in cattle reported across the country

By Our Correspondents,Khotang/Ilam/Baitadi, Apr. 13: Lumpy skin disease has been reported in cattle from across the country. Said to have entered Nepal in 2020 via Morang from India, the lumpy skin disease is a viral disease that affects cattle and is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species of flies and mosquitoes or ticks.

According to experts, it causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death.

According to our Khotang correspondent Raj Kumar Bhattarai, symptoms similar to the disease have been reported from all six wards of Jantedhunga Rural Municipality of the district.

"Over time, almost a hundred farmers have arrived in the office with complaints that their cattle, especially cows and buffaloes, showed symptoms of the lumpy skin disease," said Dr. Sushan Dhakal, chief of Livestock Service Section of the rural municipality.

The rural municipality informed that the disease has been reported in the area from mid-February this year.

Similarly, in Ilam district, officials informed that several cattle were falling  ill and some had even died of the disease, according to our Ilam correspondent Kokila Dhakal.

The disease has been reported in all 10 local levels of Ilam district, including Suryodaya Municipality, Ilam Municipality, Mai Jogmai Rural Municipality and Rong Rural Municipality.

In Suryodaya alone, the disease has expanded to over 1,000 cattle in the past one week. "Three calves and two cows have died as well," said Bipin Sah, chief of the Livestock Section at the municipality.

"We have informed the provincial and federal governments regarding the problem. We are providing necessary medicines for free," said Ran Bahadur Rai, Mayor of Suryodaya.

According to Ilam Municipality's Livestock Section chief Rup Bahadur Limbu, a cow in Ward No. 12 died and over 300 cattle have been found infected with the disease within the municipality.

Meanwhile, experts argued that there were no effective medicine or vaccine against the disease, and they were prescribing anti-biotics as necessary.

"The farmers have been sending samples for test. 

The disease is getting diagnosed but we do not have necessary medicine or vaccine. We have heard that some vaccine is being used against the disease in India. 

For now, we are coordinating with higher authorities," said Shittal Bhattarai, chief at Veterinary Hospital, Jhapa.

Likewise, the officials in Baitadi district informed that they were providing basic treatment on the basis of the symptoms seen in cattle because of lack of effective treatment. 

"The disease has spread in Shivanath, Melauli and Sunarya rural municipalities and Patan Municipality. 

There are more than 500 cases of the disease. Since there is no concrete treatment, we are providing treatment on the basis of the symptoms and conditions of cattle," said Gumani Dutta Panta, acting chief at the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Service Expert Center of the district, according to our Baitadi correspondent Gokarna Dayal.

Experts have also suggested farmers to keep cattle with symptoms in a secluded space to prevent other animals from getting infected.

Nevertheless, farmers argued that they were left in dismay as the authorities neither played their role in the disease's prevention nor were there any effective treatment available.