Lumpy Skin Disease

• 05 Aug 2025

Why in News?

Fresh cases of Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) in cows have recently been reported in the Sirohi district, Rajasthan, three years after the region was devastated by the same disease. 

Key Points About Lumpy Skin Disease

• Causes: LSD is caused by infection of cattle or water buffalo with the poxvirus Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV).
  • According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the mortality rate is less than 10%.
  • Lumpy skin disease was first seen as an epidemic in Zambia in 1929. Initially, it was thought to be the result of either poisoning or hypersensitivity to insect bites.
• Transmission: Lumpy skin disease is primarily spread between animals by biting insects (vectors), such as mosquitoes and biting flies.
• Symptoms: The disease is marked by the appearance of lumps on the skin of infected cows and can lead to a reduction in milk production and, in severe cases, death.
  • It primarily consists of fever, fluid excretion from eyes and nose, dribbling of saliva from the mouth and blisters on the body.
• Prevention and Treatment: Vaccination against these diseases is covered under the Livestock Health and Disease Control Programme of India.
  • There are no specific antiviral drugs available for the treatment of lumpy skin disease. 
    • The only treatment available is supportive care of cattle. This can include treatment of skin lesions using wound care sprays and the use of antibiotics to prevent secondary skin infections and pneumonia.
  • Anti-inflammatory painkillers can be used to keep up the appetite of affected animals.