Government's Action Plan to Control Lumpy Skin Disease Outbreak

The government has decided to make an action plan within 3 days to control the lumpy skin disease that has spread across the country. The meeting of the Central Monitoring Committee held at the office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers on Sunday decided to draw up an action plan with the coordination of the three levels of government, including the private sector.

According to an official from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, the central monitoring committee has also decided to give high priority to the management of vaccination against lumpy skin disease. The Ministry of Agriculture will lead such work.

Due to the infection of Lumpy, the process of dying of calves, pregnant, and lactating animals has not stopped.

Lumpy skin disease was first observed in 1929 in the African country of Zambia. Then this disease spread to other countries. According to the Animal Services Department, lumpy skin disease was confirmed for the first time on Shrawan 22, 2077, in the Morang district of Nepal. Now, this disease has become an epidemic.

Veterinarians say that this disease is transmitted by the bites of mosquitoes, worms, flies, etc. in cattle and also by the use of the same needle during animal treatment. Cattle infected with Lumpy Skin Disease show a loss of milk, the appearance of skin lumps, sores in the nose and mouth, high fever, and continuous discharge from the eyes and nose. Animals die if not treated in time.

Lumpy skin has not yet been confirmed to have been transmitted from animals to humans. In the FAO report published in 2017, it was mentioned that there is no lumpy skin disease (zoonotic disease).