Around 100,000 cows and buffaloes have died and more than 200,000 are suffering from the disease due to the outbreak of lumpy skin disease in cattle in 15 states of India.
According to the news agency SWEET Press, the Lumpy Skin virus has spread to at least 15 states where the number of deaths in cows and buffaloes has doubled in the last three weeks.
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Farmers in India have already suffered severe losses due to severe weather conditions. Wheat production was very low in April this year and now this virus has added to the woes of farmers.
Lumpy skin virus is spread by insects that suck blood, such as mosquitoes or ticks. Affected cows and buffaloes develop blisters on the skin after fever.
Small farmers have been most affected by this virus, who have preferred to raise cattle to avoid the effects of climate change.
Lumpy skin disease is a very serious problem that has increased over the years, says Devendra Sharma, an agronomist in the northern Indian city of Chandigarh.
He said that the number of animals affected by this disease is much more than the government data.
Narendra Mohan Singh, Director of Livestock Department of Rajasthan state, says that this is an infectious disease that is spreading from the western states to the east.
In the state of Himachal Pradesh, the affected farmers have appealed to the government for financial assistance.
The virus first emerged in South Asia in 2019 and has since spread to India, China and Nepal. Earlier in 1929, the first case of Lumpy Skin was recorded in Zambia, which later spread to other African countries and has now been recorded in some parts of Europe.
