As the federal authorities await the completion of formalities for the import of 50,000 vaccines, farmers with sick animals have so far largely been left in the lurch without any government assistance.
So far, around 67 cattle heads have died while between 18,000 and 20,000 are said to be affected by LSD in Sindh, with more than 15,000 cases in Karachi alone.
A substantial number of cases have also been reported from almost all other districts of Sindh and from Bahawalpur in Punjab.
Meanwhile, as the demand for chicken meat grows in Karachi, retailers have had an excuse to jack up the prices to as much as Rs570 per kilo, according to a report in this paper.As many as 54 animals have died due to the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) that has so far infected over 20,000 animals, including 15,100 in Karachi alone, across Sindh, it emerged on Tuesday.
Official sources said that an important meeting was held with Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah in chair and attended among others by secretary and director general of the livestock department.
The chief secretary decided to launch a vaccination drive in the affected areas and directed the livestock department to vaccinate the animals affected by the disease.
He said that along with vaccination of animals, other skin medicines should also be given to the cattle and movement of animals from the affected areas should also be stopped.
The chief secretary also directed the livestock authorities to spray mosquito repellent in and around cattle farms with the help of district administration and also to provide awareness to the cattle owners about the disease.
Officials at the meeting said the disease was unlikely to be transmitted from animals to humans.
The livestock department has also set up a helpline desk (0229201913) in Hyderabad.Last week, panic gripped cattle farmers with the spread of the disease as it hit many farms in the province, particularly those located in Karachi’s crowded Cattle Colony. According to dairy farmers, the condition of ailing animals is getting worse day by day, causing mortalities in some cases.
It was also decided that till such time the import of the LSD vaccine is approved and it becomes available, the goat pox vaccine will be used to vaccinate cattle to protect against LSD.
The use of the goat pox vaccine has been approved by the animal husbandry commissioner as it is also said to be effective against LSD.
However, detailed guidelines for the treatment and management of sick animals have yet to be issued by the federal task force constituted to control the situation.
