Jhapa. More than 10,000 cattle have been infected with lumpy skin disease in a year. In the last few months, 142 infected cattle have died.

Shital Bhattarai, chief of the Veterinary Hospital and Animal Services Expert Centre, Jhapa, said that vaccination is being conducted in all the 15 municipalities of the district to control the disease. So far, 58,000 cattle have been vaccinated in the district to control the disease.

Mechinagar Municipality and Barhadashi Rural Municipality have reported the highest number of cases of the disease in the district, he said. He said that the infection of lumpy skin disease is spreading with the increase in heat.

“The disease is spread through the bite of mosquitoes, flies, prawns, insects, etc. “We are conducting free vaccination campaign by reaching out to every shed of farmers to control the disease,” he said. He said that 77,500 vaccines have been received from the Livestock and Fisheries Development Directorate Koshi in the district.

Cattle with this disease have fever, lumps appear in different parts of the body and inner layers, water flows in the knot and ripens. Centre’s chief Bhattarai said that the problem has not been seen in the cattle vaccinated in the past.

“The disease has not been detected in pre-vaccinated cattle, only new-born calves and new cattle purchased from outside have a high risk,” he said. ’

He said that in the current fiscal year 2081-82, integrated camps have been organized by visiting 72 farms in the district to prevent infertility seen in cattle. Similarly, 13 complaints of damage to livestock due to natural disasters were received during the same period, he said. Based on the application, the office has been providing relief ranging from Rs 6,000 to Rs 78,000, he said.