The Maharashtra government has decided to set up quarantine centres on the lines of Covid-19 centres for the cattle affected by the Lumpy skin disease. As per official estimates, 5,051 livestock have been affected in 682 villages across 24 districts in the state.
The announcement was made by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday in Aurangabad. The demand was made by RR Patil Foundation president Vinod Patil during his meeting with Shinde, who said that these centres are part of a slew of decisions taken to contain the spread of the disease. Patil said they have also demanded widespread vaccination drives and financial assistance to farmers.
The CM said the department of animal husbandry and dairy development has been asked to step up efforts and take necessary steps to combat the disease that is spreading fast across the country. A department official said they will coordinate with district collectors to start the quarantine centres at the zilla parishad group level. “They will become functional in due course of time,” he added.
As per latest data, 89 infected animals have died until September 16 – 33 in Jalgaon district, 19 in Ahmednagar, two in Dhule, seven in Akola, 10 in Pune, two in Latur, five in Satara, three in Buldhana, five in Amravati, and one each in Washim, Nagpur and Jalna. A total of 9,80,243 animals in 3,666 villages in the 5-km radius of the infected area have been vaccinated.
The animal husbandry and dairy development department has asked all farmers to avail free treatment for their cattle at their doorstep by intimating the nearby government veterinary dispensaries or livestock development officers.
Animal husbandry commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh said that Lumpy is a viral skin disease transmitted by vectors and by direct contact with affected cattle However, it’s not transmitted from animals to humans. “It is almost certainly curable if treated promptly. The mortality rate of livestock from this disease is very low, so livestock keepers should not panic,” he added.
