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Strengthening the Regional Preparedness, Prevention and Response Against Lumpy Skin Disease in Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine - TCP/RER/3605

Year of publication 2020

Place of publication Rome, Italy ;

Pages 11

Publisher FAO ;

Product type Project

Edition 1

Synopsis (short abstract) Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a newly emergedtransboundary animal disease (TAD) that is spreadingthrough the Middle East, Turkey, the Balkans, theCaucasus and Eastern Europe. The introduction of theLSD virus into naïve populations causes considerableeconomic losses due to the death of cattle, the decreasein their productivity, the cost of vaccination campaignsand, most importantly, its impact upon trade. The risk ofan imminent incursion into neighbouring and, until now,unaffected countries is very high, in particular forcountries sharing borders and (formal and informal) traderoutes. This is the case for Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine. The spread of LSD has had a dramatic impact upon rurallivelihoods, which are strongly dependent upon cattle, andcan lead to significant loss of income for affected farmers.The effect at national level is also devastating, as thepresence of the disease comes with strict traderestrictions. These negative effects will increase as thedisease continues to spread, not only within affectedcountries, but also to neighbouring states. There is also ahigh potential for LSD to re-emerge in countries that haveconducted national vaccination campaigns.It was crucial to limit further incursions of the LSD virus,particularly to countries currently free from this disease,and therefore unfamiliar with it. The project’s objectivewas to reduce these risks in the following ways:(i) enhancing legal, regulatory preparedness andcoordination for LSD at national level, (ii) enhancingthe capacities of national veterinary services for LSDdetection, prevention and control, (iii) strengthening riskanalysis capacities for LSD, (iv) conducting awarenesscampaigns for veterinary services, field veterinarians,farmers and farmers’ associations and academia and(v) strengthening regional coordination.The project was ultimately effective in preventing

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    Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a vector-borne transboundary animal disease of bovines that causes severe economic losses to the cattle sector as a result of mortality, the decrease in milk production, severe damage to hides and trade restrictions. Originally restricted to Africa, around a decade ago LSD began to spread throughout the Middle East and into Türkiye, the Balkans, the Caucasus, the Russian Federation and Kazakhstan. More recently, the disease has emerged in East and South Asia, affecting some of the largest bovine producers in the world, such as China, India or Bangladesh. The risk of an imminent incursion into neighbouring and as yet unaffected countries is very high, particularly for those sharing borders and (both formal and informal) trade routes. This is the case for Central Asia, where countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – which share borders with Kazakhstan – and Tajikistan have begun to plan vaccinations to prevent LSD incursions. In Central Asia, cattle are the most important livestock species and are key to rural areas. The spread of LSD would have a dramatic effect upon rural livelihoods, which remain highly dependent on cattle. The combined cattle population across the four countries is more than 15 million heads. Milk production, either for subsistence or income, is of particular concern.
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    The Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is a viral disease of cattle that has dramatic effects on rural livelihoods, which strongly dependent on cattle. The disease slashes milk production and may lead sterility in bulls and fertility problems in females. It damages hides, and causes death due to secondary bacterial infections. Although traditionally limited to sub-Saharan Africa, LSD has slowly been invading new territories such as the Middle East and Turkey, and since 2015, most of the Balkan countries, the Caucasus and the Russian Federation, where the disease continues to spread and the risk of an imminent incursion into other unaffected countries, is very high. Veterinarians, cattle farmers, and others along the value chain are facing the disease for first time and are unfamiliar with LSD’s clinical presentation, its transmission routes and the available prevention and control options. This manual aims to fill these gaps by providing veterinary professionals and paraprofessionals with the information they need to promptly diagnose and react to an outbreak of LSD. Cattle farmers will also benefit from reading it.
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    Lumpy skin disease virus (LSDV) causes lumpy skin disease in cattle and buffaloes, which is associated with significant animal production and economic losses. Since the 2000s, LSDV has spread from Africa to several countries in the Middle East; Europe; and Asia; including, more recently, several south-east Asian countries. In November 2020, Myanmar reported its first LSD outbreak. This study reports on the first incursion of LSD in Myanmar and the molecular analysis of the LSDV detected. Staff from the Livestock Breeding and Veterinary Department (LBVD) of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Irrigation collected samples from cattle with suspected LSD infection. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations’ emergency Centre for Transboundary Animal Diseases (ECTAD) and the Joint International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)/FAO program’s Animal Health and Production laboratory provided LSDV diagnostic support to two regional veterinary diagnostic laboratories in Myanmar. Samples from 13 cattle tested positive by real-time PCR. Selected samples underwent sequence analysis in IAEA laboratories. The results show that the Myanmar LSDV sequences clustered with LSDV isolates from Bangladesh and India, LSDV Kenya, and LSDV NI-2490. Further characterization showed that the Myanmar LSDV is 100% identical to isolates from Bangladesh and India, implying a common source of introduction. These findings inform diagnosis and development of control strategies.
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