Outbreak of lumpy skin disease in Thakurgaon worries farmers

Tension gripped cattle farmers in Thakurgaon as an outbreak of lumpy skin disease recently broke out among cattle in the area.

A good number of cattle have been dying from new infections regularly, the growers said, adding that the disease has already spread to each village in the district.

Though the infected cattle are being treated, no significant improvement has yet been noticed, causing tension among the cattle farmers.

The animals are dying within seven to eight days of being infected with the disease. The number of infected smaller cattle is higher than larger ones, they opined.

On July 18, four cattle died of the disease at Bourchuna and Jabarhat Hasem villages under Pirganj upazila over the last two days, said Shafi, a resident of Jabarhat Hasem.

Nipa Rani, a cattle grower in Dakshin Malancha village in the upazila, said she had two cows; one of them died of the disease, and the other is undergoing treatment.

At first, small lumps were seen on the cows, and later the lumps became swollen. At one stage, reddish holes appeared on the cows’ skin, she said.

Shri Chandra Roy of the same village said six to seven cattle have already died in their village, and many others have been struggling for their lives.

Nasrote Khoda, a resident of Biroli village, said hundreds of cattle were infected with the disease, which has now turned into an outbreak.

Urging the authorities concerned to form a high-powered medical team to ensure proper treatment for the infected cattle, he suspected that the growers will incur losses if timely action was not taken.

Ranjit Kumar Singh, an officer at Pirganj Upazila livestock office, told UNB that they have been continuing to provide the infected cattle with treatment even on public holidays after forming veterinary teams.

As a vaccine against the disease is yet to be discovered, an effort is on to resist the disease by providing good pox vaccine to the sound cattle, he said.

He suggested using mosquito nets so that the disease couldn’t be spread by mosquitoes.

The livestock office said they are distributing leaflets with symptoms, actions, and measures to make people aware of the disease.