The Chief Minister said that so far 6.57 lakh cattle have been vaccinated. (file)
Bangalore:
The state government on Friday said that 2,070 cattle have died due to Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in Karnataka, while around 19,000 cattle are affected by it.
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has also ordered the release of Rs 13 crore for treatment and vaccination of cattle suffering from this viral disease and relief to those who lost their cattle due to it.
A government statement said he directed the officials to intensify the vaccination campaign, especially in Haveri and Kolar districts.
“The disease has been observed in 4,380 villages in 160 talukas of 28 districts. Out of the total 45,645 cattle affected by the disease, 26,135 have been cured and 2,070 have died,” the statement said.
It said that two crore rupees have already been released as compensation to those who lost the cattle.
“An additional Rs 5 crore will be released for the treatment of diseased cattle and Rs 8 crore for their vaccination,” the statement said.
The Chief Minister was quoted as saying that so far 6.57 lakh cattle have been vaccinated.
As per the guidelines of the Government of India, even healthy cattle within a radius of five km where the disease has been observed should be vaccinated.
“Vaccination should be done on priority basis in the chronically affected districts,” the Chief Minister said and directed the officials to immediately get 15 lakh doses of the vaccine from companies approved by the Government of India.
Steps should be taken to check the disease in the worst affected districts like Haveri and Kolar; Precautionary measures should be taken so that it does not spread to other districts. He said that the vaccination campaign should be intensified.
LSD is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle and causes fever, lumps on the skin, and can even lead to death. The disease is spread by mosquitoes, flies, lice and wasps, through direct contact with cattle and through contaminated food and water.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)