INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A seminar was held in Kabul on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in livestock in Afghanistan.Experts from
Kabul University, along with representatives of the Ministries of Public Health, Agriculture and Livestock and municipalities met Tuesday to
discuss the dangers of this virus.Delegates attending the seminar pointed out the need to prevent the spread of the disease in the
country.According to health officials, this virus is transmitted by some species of mosquitoes, ticks and other blood-feeding insects but is
not transmitted to humans.This virus has spread from eastern and southeastern provinces such as Laghman, Nangarhar and Kunar, but currently,
this virus does not have a vaccine, and fortunately, this disease does not transmit to humans,& said Shirshah Sadat, dean of Kabul
University&s Faculty of Veterinary Sciences.Nasir Ahmad, the representative of the Ministry of Public Health also said: &This virus is
problematic for food health, especially for people suffering from malnutrition.This virus is transmitted from one animal to another by
mosquitoes and flies and the source of its transmission should be eliminated, and quarantine and vaccines are said to be good ways to fight
this disease,& said Asadullah Samadi, a university professor.The representative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock said that a
campaign to curb the spread of this virus will be launched in cooperation with international organizations in all provinces in the near
future.The virus has in recent years been detected in Kunar, Nangarhar, Laghman and southeastern provinces of Paktia, Paktika, Khost, Logar
and Ghazni.The disease was endemic in many African countries for years, but spread to other parts of the world over the years
The disease first appeared in South Asia in July 2019, with Bangladesh reporting an outbreak
A month later, it was identified in India & which has the world&s largest bovine population & and then in China.The infection is caused by
the Capripox virus & which is genetically similar to the viruses that cause goat pox and sheep pox & and has been termed &an emerging threat
to livestock worldwide& by health experts.The post Health officials and experts meet in Kabul over spread of lumpy skin disease first
