Vijayawada: In another big medical breakthrough in India, a new vaccine to counter the lumpy skin disease (LSD) in dairy cattle and buffaloes has been developed and rolled out available by Biovet, a Bharat Biotech group company.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu launched the vaccine — Biolumpivaxin— on Wednesday during the Livestock Prosperity Conclave in Vijayawada, the company announced in a statement.
“All viable measures should be taken earnestly to ensure the effective rollout of the vaccine, which not only can contribute to the state’s targeted 20% livestock growth trajectory but also promote the long-term sustainability of the dairy industry,” Naidu said at the launch event.
Biolumpivaxin is the world’s first Differentiating Infected from Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) marker vaccine, which will help in surveillance of the disease as experts will be able to distinguish between vaccinated and naturally infected dairy cattle.
Biolumpivaxin is a single vaccination regimen given once in a year to cattle and buffaloes of all ages.
The company received approval from Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) to market the vaccine, in February.
LSD is a viral disease which is transmitted by mosquitoes, ticks, or other means. There have been two major outbreaks of LSD in India — in 2019 and 2022. Approximately 200,000 cattle died during these two outbreaks, while millions more cattle lost their milk production capabilities.
