The Federal Government will import 500,000 vaccines to control the spread of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) amongst cattle and buffaloes in the country as Sindh has emerged as the hardest-hit province with 20,000 animals diagnosed with the disease.
The Federal Government has also offered the Sindh government one-time permission for the import of vaccines to fight Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD), an official source told.
Earlier today, the Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Syed Fakhar Imam, chaired a high-powered meeting to curb the spread of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) amongst cattle and buffaloes in Pakistan. The meeting was also attended by the Minister for Livestock Sindh, Abdul Bari, and Secretaries Livestock of Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, and the animal husbandry commissioner, Muhammad Akram.
The source said that so far, 20,000 cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) have been reported in the province of Sindh. The Federal Government has offered Sindh that if it wants to import vaccines through the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the Federal Government can offer one-time import permission, the source added.
Fakhar Imam asked that DRAP should allow the import of vaccines on an immediate basis to curb the spread of LSD. Minister for Livestock Sindh, Abdul Bari, said that Sindh had started an awareness campaign to dispel false rumors about LSD disease. He further said a task force has been made to control the spread of the disease.
A representative from Punjab briefed the minister that they have approximately 250,000 goat pox vaccines that can be used as an alternate to the LSD vaccine. He said that the production of the goat pox vaccine has been increased by Punjab to meet the demand of Sindh and other provinces as well. Fakhar Imam was briefed that the hot spot of vaccine spread areas is being cordoned off to control the spread. Fakhar was told that 7,500 personnel are trained to administer the vaccine to the animals in Punjab.
Fakhar Imam was briefed that the Ministry of National Food Security & Research has confirmed the presence of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in Bahawalpur, Karachi, Jamshoro, Hyderabad, and Thatta. It was clarified that LSD only affects cattle. This disease is caused by a virus that spreads through bites of mosquitoes, Tsetse flies, and ticks. LSD has no public health implications because it cannot transmit from animals to humans. Boiled milk and well-cooked meat from the affected cattle are safe for human consumption.
The meeting was briefed by the Animal Husbandry Commissioner, Dr. Muhammad Akram, that 500,000 vaccines are to be imported to tackle the spread of LSD. Minister was briefed that this disease only affects cattle and buffaloes and certain wild animals, which has been confirmed for the first time in Pakistan through clinical and laboratory diagnosis.
Lumpy Skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease of cattle, buffaloes, and certain wild animals, causing economic losses due to loss of condition, decreased milk production, abortions, infertility, and damaged hides. The causative virus is spreading mainly by vectors such as tsetse flies, mosquitoes, and ticks. Dr. Akram said that it is a widespread epidemic across many countries of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
The disease can, however, be successfully controlled by vaccination. It was further informed that the sheep/goat pox vaccine, which is already available in the country, is effective against the LSD virus. However, the government is making urgent arrangements to import LSD vaccines.
