Lumpy Skin Disease Emerging Problem in Pakistan

Abstract

Muhammad Imran, Asraf Hussain Hashmi, Faisal Khalique and Muhammad Zahid Iqbal

Lumpy skin disease is important disease of livestock sector posing a big problem to livestock sector and economy. The virus belongs to the Capripoxvirus genus of the family Poxviridae, which also contains sheep pox virus and goat pox virus. LSD is enzootic in several African countries. Since 2012, the disease has spread rapidly and widely throughout the Eastern Europe regions, southern Caucasus and parts of the Russian Federation as well as parts of Asia. It is one of the most serious health issues confronting the global cattle business. In addition to the international trade embargo and animal movement restrictions, the disease causes major economic losses owing to skin damage, reduced meat and milk production, infertility, mastitis, and mortality. Lumpy skin disease spread more rapidly in Province Sindh and some parts of province Punjab. Since March 2022, verifiable epidemiological data has revealed a 33% morbidity rate and a 0.6% mortality rate in Pakistan. The southern Punjab cattles were more affected with lumpy skin diseases as compared to northern Punjab. Mortality and infection rate of lumpy skin disease become double during Eid al Adha. The first LSD outbreak was detected in southern Pakistan in November 2021 and notified by the government on March 4th, 2022. Since 2019, LSD has been detected in India, China, and Iran, all of which share Pakistan's border possibly indicating a transboundary transmission channel from Iran and India, both of which border southern Pakistan. LSD is unquestionably posing a danger to dent Pakistan's livestock sector and business.

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