100,000 Cattle in Riau to Be Vaccinated Against Lumpy Skin Disease

TheIndonesia.co - Riau provincial government is targeting to vaccinate 100,000 cattle in the province as a response to the spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus that has been found in seven regencies/municipalities in Riau.

Head of livestock and animal health office in the province Herman explained that LSD virus mainly attacks cows and bulls, and it causes wound, fever, loss of appetite, low milk production, and death.

“Lumpy skin disease is an infectious skin disease caused by lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV), which is a virus with DNA from genus Capripoxvirus and family Poxviridae,” he said on Thursday, March 10, as reported by Antara.

He explained that vaccination is to anticipate further spread of the LSD virus. Meanwhile, vaccine procurement process will be done by the central government, and Riau is currently waiting to receive the doses.

The vaccine will be imported as cases of LSD in Riau are the first ones detected in Indonesia.

“Currently, cases of LSD in cattle have been reported in seven regions, which are Indragiri Hulu regency with 114 cattle, Pelalawan regency with 25 cattle, Kampar regency with eight cattle, Dumai municipality with 20 cattle, Bengkalis regency with 12 cattle, Indragiri Hilir regency with 13 cattle, and in Siak regency with 50 cattle,” Herman revealed.

From the 242 cattle infected with LSD, three died which brings the mortality rate to five percent – a figure that is considered low. It is also reported that farmers were forced to slaughter 13 cattle due to fear of transmission that grew among local residents.

Herman said the current recovery rate is at 84 percent, and an increased appetite is one of the most common characteristics of recovering cattle because the virus also causes sore throat that impacts their food intake.