Explained: Is milk of animals affected by Lumpy disease safe for human consumption?

16.42 lakh cattle were afflicted and 75,000 killed by Lumpy disease in India between July and September 11, 2022, according the govt data.

Rajasthan is worst affected. As per official details, the state has seen 51,000 animal deaths and 11 lakh animals have been affected by this disease.

Lumpy disease is a contagious viral disease that affects cattle and causes fever, nodules on the skin and can also lead to death. The disease gets spread by mosquitoes, flies, lice, and wasps by direct contact among the cattle, and through contaminated food and water

The disease is caused by a non-zoonotic virus which means it cannot be transmitted from animals to humans.

The spread of the virus in the cattle has raised questions about the quality of milk and if it is safe to consume.

Director of Indian Veterinary Research Institute Ashok Kumar Mohanty, has assured that the milk from lumpy skin disease affected animals is safe for human consumption as the infection is not transmissible to humans.

He further said that the milk is safe with or without boiling.

Mohanty did, however, say milk production in the infected cattle gets affected depending on the severity of the disease and immunity level of the animal. He said when cattle are infected, the animals become weak due to nodule formation, fever and other symptoms and that severely affects milk production.

If cattle are infected for the first time and not vaccinated, then milk production can get reduced up to 40-50 per cent, he added.

Currently, 'goat pox' vaccines are being administered to the animals to stop the spread of the disease, however, a new vaccination that has to be made specifically for Lumpy disease is waiting for the regulatory approval.