India launches vaccine to fight Lumpy Skin disease in cattle
Vaccine made by National Equine Research Center in collaboration with Indian Veterinary Research Institute
There is no evidence that LSDV can infect humans, says WOAH
Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, launched an indigenously developed vaccine “Lumpi-ProVacInd” to control the rapidly spreading Lumpy Skin disease (LSD), a viral pox currently affecting thousands of cattle in western India.
The vaccine has been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana) in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
Ever since the disease was detected in India in 2019, research institutes have been engaged in developing the vaccine, said Tomar. He said the vaccine is 100% effective and complies with all standards.
Tomar directed the concerned officials to provide the vaccine in large numbers at the earliest. He said that there are 30 crore livestock in India that needed this vaccine, and hinted successful eradication of LSD could create demand for India’s vaccine in other countries too as in the case of COVID-19.
LSD is caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), a virus from the family Poxviridae. A source had told MDDTimes earlier that China may have planned to infect cattle in India and several other countries with a virus that could also move to humans.
However, according to the Paris-based World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), LSDV is highly host specific and causes disease only in cattle (Bos indicus and B. taurus) and water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), with crossbred cattle exhibiting higher morbidity and mortality vs local cattle.
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