India: Update - Lumpy Skin Disease Spreads to Northern States

This report is an update to FAS New Delhi’s recent GAIN-INDIA | IN2022-0066 | Outbreak of Lumpy Skin Disease in Cattle Raises Alarm in Cattle Rearing Communities in the State of Gujarat report. The outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) is spreading to the northern states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Indian media sources report that cattle deaths from LSD number already around 2,111 head in Rajasthan and 1,679 in Gujarat, and now 672 in Punjab, 38 in Himachal Pradesh, and 22 in the Yamunanagar district of Haryana. Since the beginning of August, over 25,000 cases are being reported in Rajasthan alone and more than 37,000 cases in Gujarat. The outbreak is rapidly becoming a cause of concern for dairy farmers, who fear incurring huge financial losses as productive cattle die off. India has not notified the World Animal Health Organization (OIE) of the latest 2022 LSD outbreak.