• LSD is a vector-borne pox disease that is caused by Capripoxvirus and is an emerging threat to livestock worldwide. It is genetically related to the goat pox and sheep pox virus family.
• LSD infects cattle and water buffalo mainly through vectors such as blood-feeding insects.
• Signs of infection include the appearance of circular, firm nodes on the animal’s hide or skin that look similar to lumps.
• Infected animals immediately start losing weight and may have fever and lesions in the mouth, along with a reduced milk yield.
• The disease has been endemic in most African countries, and since 2012 it has spread rapidly through the Middle East, Southeast Europe and West and Central Asia.
• LSD was reported for the first time in India in 2019 from Odisha.
• The disease is not zoonotic, meaning it does not spread from animals to humans, and humans cannot get infected with it.
• Recently, Lumpi-ProVacInd vaccine has been developed by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) – National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana) in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).
• It is a homologous, live attenuated vaccine specifically targeted to protect cattle against LSD virus.