A STRANGE BUT familiar fear prevails over the village of Kammana in Kerala’s Wayanad district since the beginning of the year. It was much like what the residents experienced around the same time last year, when the state reported India’s first covid-19 case. This time the virus is different and so is the host, but the disease is equally contagious, unknown, stealthy and debilitating.
“I don’t know how and when three of my five Jersey cows contracted the disease,” says Saji Joseph, a resident of Kammana. All of a sudden in the first week of January lumps started appearing on their body accompanied by high fever. Within a week, they have become emaciated, says Joseph, adding that he loses ₹700 a day because of reduced milk yield. In this village of mostly dairy farmers, 200 other households face the same predicament. Even infected bulls and buffaloes are unable to pull carts or perform farm activities. Local veterinarians have identified it as lumpy skin disease (LSD), a viral illness that causes prolonged morbidity in cattle and buffaloes. It appears as nodules of 2 to 5 cm diameter all over the body, particularly around the head, neck, limbs, udder and genitals. The lumps gradually open up like large and deep wounds. In some cases—under 10 per cent as per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)— infected animal succumbs to the disease. While the LSD virus easily spreads by blood-sucking insects like mosquitoes, flies and ticks and through saliva and contaminated water and food, veterinarians say no treatment is available for the disease, which is being reported for the first time in India.
This story is from the January 16, 2021 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the January 16, 2021 edition of Down To Earth.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT
West Bengal's Bhanga Mela (scrap fair) has pushed the limits of recycling. Organised every January at Mathurapur village in 24 South Parganas district, shops at the fair sell discarded electronic items, antiques and even non-functional goods that are in repairable condition.
A wild chase
BASED ON A 2015 PROBE THAT BUST A MAJOR IVORY SMUGGLING RACKET IN INDIA, POACHER PROVIDES A RARE GLIMPSE INTO THE WORK OF FOREST OFFICIALS
Suspect claims in Teva's suit against Cipla
The US Federal Trade Commission has warned the Israeli drug firm its patents are wrongful as it sues Cipla aggressively
WATER SCARREDCITY
Bengaluru's water crisis was long in the making. The city has grown at the cost of its lakes and ponds that are key to its water security. Over 93 per cent of the city is built-up, which makes groundwater recharge difficult. Inadequate sewage systems pollute the limited water available. Over the decades, the city has become dependent on the Cauvery, 100 km away, for 70 per cent of its water needs. This makes water unaffordable. It's time Bengaluru broadened its water resource base beyond the Cauvery and focused on recharging groundwater and reusing treated wastewater.
On guard
Communities in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh reduce human-elephant conflicts using technology and proactive on-ground monitoring
Overlooked crisis
While there is much talk about climate migration, the world is without a legal framework to protect people displaced by weather disasters
Taking charge for water
A young sarpanch in Maharashtra helps his village residents avail drinking water at home
International Women's Day Special SHE
In India, women self-help groups have been a source of empowerment, fostering economic independence, social stature and community resilience.
MODERATELY YOURS
The crunchy, slightly sweet tubers of shankhalu can be a healthy addition to one's diet
TROUBLED TEAK
Farmers need to be sensitised about right planting materials and cultivation techniques to benefit from high-value teak plantations