Lumpy skin disease spreads to 17 districts in Gujarat

More than 1,200 cattle have died of lumpy skin disease in 17 out of the total 33 districts of Gujarat so far, and the state government has intensified survey, treatment as well as vaccination, while also banning animal fairs, officials said on Sunday.

State Agriculture and Animal Husbandry Minister Raghavji Patel said more than 1,240 cattle had died due to the viral disease till Saturday, and over 5.74 lakh animals have been vaccinated against it.

"The viral infection has spread to 17 out of 33 districts in the state, and most of them are in the Saurashtra region," he said.

The affected districts include Kutch, Jamnagar, Devbhumi Dwarka, Rajkot, Porbandar, Morbi, Surendranagar, Amreli, Bhavnagar, Botad, Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Banaskantha, Patan, Surat, Aravalli and Panchmahal, he said.

In a bid to control the viral spread, the state government has published a notification dated July 26, banning the movement of cattle and fairs, an official release said.

As per a notification issued by the Rajkot district administration, the movement of cattle from other states, districts, talukas and cities has been banned along with cattle trade and fairs, etc. till August 21.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Congress has accused the government of not revealing the exact toll of the disease and demanded compensation to farmers, who have lost their cattle.

According to a government release, a committee will be formed in each of the affected district under the chairmanship of the collectors to control and monitor the disease.