143k cattle affected by lumpy skin disease in Maharashtra so far: Official

The lumpy skin disease has affected 1,43,089 cattle in Maharashtra so far and 93,166 of them have recovered after treatment, a senior animal husbandry department official said on Wednesday.

The disease has till now spread to 3,030 villages in 32 out of the total 36 districts of the state, Animal Husbandry Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh said.

The lumpy skin disease is a contagious viral infection that affects cattle and can also lead to death.

Its symptoms include fever, nodules on the skin, reduced milk production, loss of appetite, and watery eyes, as per experts.

"The affected cattle are being treated in the state and as on date, 140.97 lakh vaccines have been made available in various districts," Singh said.

So far, 135.58 lakh cattle have been given free vaccination in the state, he said.

The vaccination process has been completed in Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Dhule, Akola, Aurangabad, Beed, Kolhapur, Sangli, Washim, Jalna, Nandurbar and Mumbai suburbs, the official said.

"As per data, 97 per cent of the cattle have been vaccinated," he added.