LSD vaccine import planned

ISLAMABAD: To control the spread and curb the impacts of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in cattle, the government on Wednesday directed the country’s drug authority to allow import of vaccines without wasting time.

LSD is one of the most economically significant viral diseases of cattle because of the loss of production, permanent damage to hides, infertility, and death, which can miserably affect the rural economy.

“On an immediate basis DRAP (Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan) should allow the import of vaccines to curb the spread of LSD,” said Syed Fakhar Imam, Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, while chairing a high-powered meeting held to devise a strategy stop LSD from spereading.

Abdul Bari, Sindh Minister for Livestock, and Secretaries Livestock of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, and Animal Husbandry Commissioner, also attended the meeting.

It’s a contagious viral disease that has spread in Punjab and Sindh provinces, with a high concentration in Sindh province where hundreds of thousands of cattle have been affected. The main clinical signs include fever, the appearance of nodules on the skin, lesions in the mouth, pharynx, enlarged superficial lymph nodes, edema in the skin, and sometimes death.

The federal government confirmed LSD in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, and Thatta. The viral disease spreads through bites of mosquitoes, tsetse flies, and ticks. LSD has no public health implications because it does not infect humans. Boiled milk and well-cooked meat from the affected cattle are safe for human consumption.

Imam said that immediate relief should be provided to the farmers and there should be regular feedback provided by the provinces to ensure proactive measures were being taken.

Abdul Bari, Sindh Minister for Livestock said the province had started an awareness campaign to dispel false rumors about LSD disease.

“A task force has been constituted to control the spread of the disease,” he added.

According to a representative from Punjab, they have approximately 250,000 goat pox vaccines, which can be used “The production of the goat pox vaccine has been increased in Punjab to meet the demand of Sindh and other provinces as well,” the Punjab official said.