Does Lumpy virus infect humans?

Hello friends! Hope you all are doing great. In recent months we have been hearing a lot about Lumpy Virus and the fatality it has caused among the cattle population in India.

Today, in this blog we shall discuss the most frequently asked questions for this disease.

What is Lumpy Virus?

It is a virus of the family Poxviridae and the capripoxvirus genus. It is also known as Neethling virus.

What disease does it cause?

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is caused by this virus.

How does it affect the cattle?

It is transmitted by mosquitoes and other insects that feed on the blood of cattle.

Where is this virus usually found?

It has been seen in cattle and water buffalos in Africa, the Middle East, and recently, expanding into southeastern Europe and Asia.

LSD has caused widespread distress in Indian States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab in the last few months

What are the symptoms?

The disease is characterized by Fever,

Enlarged superficial lymph nodes and multiple nodules (measuring 2–5 centimetres (1–2 in) in diameter) on the skin and mucous membranes (including those of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts).

We all are clearly aware of the fact that humans share the closest bond with these cattle and

their products. So it is a natural question now that Can Lumpy Virus infect humans?

For getting a very clear answer to this question let us understand two terms first

1. Zoonosis

2. Host specificity

According to WHO, zoonosis is an infectious disease that has jumped from a non-human

animal to humans. Zoonotic pathogens may be bacterial, viral or parasitic, or may involve

unconventional agents and can spread to humans through direct contact or through food,

water or the environment.

So the good news is Lumpy Virus is not considered zoonotic. That means it cannot infect

humans.

Host specificity is capability of living solely on or in one species of host, thus being

incapable to infect others. In fact lumpy virus is not deadly even to all cattle species. So

human transmission is not a concern at all.

Still some precautions should be taken.

● Milk should be disinfected by boiling or pasteurization which kills bacteria/ virus.

● Milk of cows suffering from lumpy virus should be avoided if the cow is on antibiotics

medication.

Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar on August 10 launched the indigenous vaccine Lumpi-ProVac to protect livestock from Lumpy Skin Disease. The vaccine has been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana) in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly).

Thus this brings us to the end of the blog. We came to know that the big question is not indeed a problem. Just taking precaution is enough. Hope you enjoyed reading and got some information out of it. Thanks for patiently reading.