BAHAWALPUR: The South Punjab (SP) livestock secretariat has taken precautionary measures in Cholistan and Bahawalpur, Multan and Dera Ghazi Khan divisions amid the outbreak of lumpy skin disease in cattle in Sindh.

       The disease has affected thousands of cows and buffaloes in various parts of Sindh where the government has declared an emergency. The neighbouring areas of south Punjab face the threat of cattle’s viral disease as south Punjab is close to Sindh (from Sadiqabad).

       Additional Secretary for Livestock (South Punjab) Tanveer Jhandhir told Dawn that the Cholistan desert and all areas of south Punjab were safe for the cattle. He said the Sindh government had established a check post at Kot Sabzal on Karachi-Lahore-Peshawar (KLP) road to check the movement of any affected animal.

       The Sindh government had also banned cattle markets due to the epidemic, he said. He said vaccine was being arranged to prevent the spread of the disease in Cholistan and south Punjab.

       LSD was a viral disease of cattle which, he said, had been reported for the first time in Pakistan. It affected many countries in Asia, Africa and Europe and could be controlled through vaccination, he said, adding that the virus spreads mainly by vectors such as tsetse flies, mosquitoes and ticks.

       He said ‘goat pox’ vaccine could be used as an alternative for the time being. He said it had no health implications for humans and boiled milk and properly cooked meat of the affected animals were safe for human consumption.

       Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2022