Lumpy skin disease: Punjab urges Centre to enhance vaccine supply

Punjab on Tuesday urged the Union government to immediately arrange goatpox vaccine in adequate quantity for over 25 lakh livestock to prevent the spread of contagious lumpy skin disease in the state.

The demand was highlighted during the Union Animal Husbandry Minister Parshottam Rupala’s review meeting with Punjab minister Laljit Singh Bhullar and his Haryana counterpart J P Dalal on contagious lumpy skin disease in livestock, availability of vaccines and arrangements being made by the state government for its prevention.

Bhullar said that the state government had administered about 2.05 lakh doses of goatpox vaccines to healthy cattle till August 15 last and the affected animals were being monitored. He said the disease was spreading mostly among cattle and districts of Fazilka, Sri Muktsar Sahib, Faridkot, Ferozepur, Bathinda, Tarn Taran, Jalandhar and Amritsar. According to reports, over 2,000 cattle have died due to the said disease.

Bhullar also said that the state government is facing a problem as there is a huge difference in the price of different vaccines. Hence, the uniformity in the price and availability of doses in sufficient quantities should be ensured.

He further informed that Punjab has so far received around 3.16 lakh doses in three phases, which have already been sent to all districts across the state and to date, over 2 lakh cattle have been vaccinated.

The Union Minister was also apprised that, so far, only eight of the total 22 districts in Haryana are free from this disease as not even a single case has been registered here.

According to information, of the total of about 17,000 cattle which got infected, about 7,000 have been cured and about 87 have so far died of it.

Published on: Tuesday, August 16, 2022, 09:43 PM IST