LSD vaccine doses reach Pakistan

Disease affects at least 32,000 cattle, kills 322 in Sindh

KARACHI:

The vaccine doses for cattle with lumpy skin disease (LSD) have reached Pakistan, officials told the media.

Sindh Livestock Department Director General Nazir Kalhoro said that 1.1 million vaccine doses arrived reached Karachi from Turkey On Saturday, while 2.9 million more vaccines will arrive in coming days.

Government has ordered a four million doses of vaccine for LSD, he said. Sindh Livestock Department will administer the vaccine and has been planning it for the past two weeks.

Teams consisting of 400 doctors and 600 paramedical staff will vaccinate the cattle in different districts of Sindh starting tomorrow and will complete the process in the next ten to fifteen days.

The Sindh government is to prepare the vaccine in eight to nine months and has provided funds to purchase additional equipment. According to details, more than 32,000 cattle have been affected by LSD in the province, while 322 cattle have died. Owing to the LSD outbreak, people were averse of eating beef, which had led to phenomenal rise in the prices of chicken under demand pressure.