Lumpy skin disease is a viral disease that affects cattle and it is transmitted by blood-feeding insects, such as certain species. of flies and mosquitoes, or ticks.
It causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death, especially in animals that that have not previously been exposed to the virus.
David Mityelo the Namisindwa District acting production officer says the most affected areas are Bumbo town council, Bukokho Sub County, Lwakhakha town council, Tsekululu and Mukoto Sub Counties among others. Mityelo says the District has no funds to counter the disease but has asked cattle farmers to vaccinate their animals to avoid further spread.
Samuel Nandokho and Stephen Wandabwa are farmers in Lwakhakha town council whose animals have been affected. The two have asked the agriculture ministry to provide free vaccines before the disease spreads to neighboring Districts.
what to note
- Lumpy skin disease is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle (both beef and dairy) and water buffalo.
- It has never been detected in Australia but is rapidly spreading through south-east Asia.
- People cannot catch Lumpy skin disease from infected animals or from eating beef or drinking milk.
Know the signs of Lumpy skin disease (LSD) and what to look out for in your cattle
- Discharge from the eyes and nose – usually observed first
- Decreased milk yield in lactating cattle
- High fever that may exceed 41 °C
- Appearance of firm skin nodules (lumps) of 2 to 5 cm in diameter, particularly on the head, neck, limbs, udder, genitalia and perineum within 48 hours of onset of fever. The number of lesions varies from a few in mild cases, to multiple lesions covering the entire body in severely affected animals.
- Cattle may rapidly lose body condition, and some may need to be euthanized (or painlessly killing the animal ). Those that recover may remain in extremely poor condition for some time. which might make animals loose market value.
- The incubation period is usually between 4 and 14 days post-infection but can be up to 28 days.
- Morbidity (sickness) rates vary greatly and typically range between 10–20%. Mortality (death) rates of 1–5% are usual. according to research from LSD hit countries and environments
Tags
The Crime Intelligence has arrested seven people for allegedly vandalizing electricity infrastructure.
Popular and Recent News
Comment