Bharat Biotech group company, Biovet, has received approval from the national drugs regulator to market a vaccine against lumpy skin disease (LSD) in dairy cattle and buffaloes, the company announced recently, adding that it will help save hundreds of thousands of cattle in the country.

• Biolumpivaxin, is the world’s first Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) marker vaccine.
• It will help in disease surveillance as it means the experts will be able to distinguish between vaccinated and naturally infected dairy cattle.
• The vaccine got approval by the central drugs standard organisation (CDSCO).

About Lumpy Skin disease

Lumpy skin disease is a transboundary animal disease that has gained significant attention in India due to its severe impact on cattle health and the dairy industry. The disease is characterized by the development of skin nodules across the body, fever, swollen lymph nodes, decreased milk yield and difficulty in movement. LSD virus transmission is largely attributed to vector bites, with mosquitoes, ticks, and other biting insects playing an essential role.

Over the past two years, approximately 200,000 cattle have died, and millions more have lost their milk production capabilities due to the viral disease.