LSD outbreak reported from Bajaur tribal district

Dozens of cows have died in Mamond tehsil so far

PESHAWAR:

After confirmed cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) were reported from several districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) including Peshawar, Charsadda and DI Khan, its outbreak has also been reported from Bajaur tribal district.

Local residents told The Express Tribune that hundreds of animals in Bar Khalozo, tehsil Mamond had been infected with the disease and their cattle were dying.

“Our cows are dying which is a great financial loss for the local farmers. Everyday veterinary doctors and technicians visit the area but they are not taking any steps to cure the healthy animals of this ailment,” said a local farmer.

He said that several written applications had been submitted to the local livestock department.

“After the applications the assistant director of livestock visited the village and collected blood samples too. Some animals were given vaccine shots and then he told us that they were short of vaccine which is the only cure,” he said.

When contacted, Dr Nazir Muhammad, an official of Livestock Department Bajaur said that there were confirmed eight to nine cases in the village.

“We have collected blood samples and sent them to laboratory. We have contacted the LSD control cell,” he added.

“I visited the area where people told us that dozens of cattle have been killed by the disease. It is not confirmed that the LSD is the cause of mortality,” he said, adding that only five per cent victims die of the disease so there is no reason to panic.

“The vaccination process is on and we are trying our level best,” he said.

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LSD in livestock was initially reported in Sindh this year in March and then in Punjab but now confirmed cases have been reported from K-P.

According to a press statement issued by Livestock Farmers Welfare Association (LFWA) two weeks ago, Director General Livestock K-P Dr Alamzeb confirmed cases in the province. There is no cure for LSD and only prior vaccination can arrest its spread.

LFWA President Muhammad Asif Awan said that he has received reports of infection in cattle and also confirmed it from DG Livestock.

Asif stressed upon chief secretary and secretary livestock to release funds so that the department could take preventive measures against the disease.

He urged effective vaccination drive to save healthy animals.

He said LSD has already infected a large number of animals in Sindh and Punjab provinces and will also hit the dairy farms in K-P if not checked.

If preventive measures are not taken, the impact of the disease will be very harmful on dairy farming community of the province, he warned.

He also urged the provincial government to carry out a comprehensive awareness campaign among dairy framers and cattle owners so that they could protect their animals.

LFWA chief also demanded imposition of an emergency by livestock department by closing all entry points of the province and establishing veterinary control rooms.

“Strict checking should be ensured at all the entry points of the province to stop spread of the disease,” he added.

Awan said he also wrote a letter to chief secretary K-P to draw his attention towards this serious issue and for taking strict preventive measures to curb its further spread.

It is worth mentioning here that K-P is 100 per cent dependent for supply of heads of cattle on Punjab and Sindh.

“Almost 100 per cent animals to our local slaughterhouses are coming from Punjab and cattle dealers have already started purchasing animals for the Eid from different parts of Punjab and Sindh. So it is almost impossible to check the spread of disease as you cannot check every animal entering K-P. Thousands are brought on a daily basis,” said an official, adding that there is no local breeding of buffaloes in the province.

“We suspect that infected animals are already sold by Punjab farmers to K-P traders who want to get rid of the infected cattle,” he claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 27^th, 2022.