Mandvi (Gujarat): Amid thousands of cases of lumpy skin disease in cattle, BJP party workers in Gujarat's Mandvi have started to give Ayurvedic laddoos to the cows affected by the disease.
The Mandvi Municipality and the BJP have started 'Gau Mata Care Center' where these days party activists are busy in preparing and feeding thousands of Ayurvedic laddoos to cows affected by Lumpy skin disease. The camp to treat the cows has been going on for the last 20 days. Apart from this, the workers of Vishwa Hindu Sangathan and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) are also coming forward to serve the cows in the city.
A volunteer at the camp told ETV Bharat that every day, eight to ten cows come to the Center for treatment. "Two to three cows are sent back after treatment every day. Many donors are helping with medicines here. Cows are given fodder, chaff, and a decoction of 11 types of Ayurvedic herbs, due to which the condition of Lumpy affected cows is improving," the volunteer said.
Speaking about the preparation of the mixture, he said that they grind all Ayurvedic herbs and mix it with jaggery and feed it to the animals two to three times a day for a few weeks. The Ayurvedic treatment comes at a time when an Indian American veterinary doctor has called for mass vaccination of cattle and immediate restriction on their inter-district movement to prevent the spread of lumpy skin disease in India.
Also read: Lumpy disease: Rajasthan worst hit state
More than 3,000 cattle in Rajasthan and Gujarat and over 400 in Punjab have died due to the disease. Members of the Rajasthan Association of North America (RANA) have galvanised themselves over the past few days to extend support to the farmers in their home state in their efforts to save cattle from the disease. Mass vaccination of cattle and putting an immediate stop to their inter-district movement are the two major steps that are needed to prevent any further spread of the deadly disease, Ravi Murarka, President of the American Association of Veterinarians of Indian Origin said on Saturday.
Murarka, who hails from Rajasthan, is also the chairman of the animal welfare community of RANA. Describing the outbreak of the disease during the monsoon season as a perfect storm, Murarka said talks have been initiated with experts on how to tackle the disease and send relevant vaccines to India at quick notice. The situation is very serious in Rajasthan right now, Murarka said, adding that the death of cows on a mass scale would have a devastating impact on the farmers and economy.
It's important to control mosquitoes or keep the vector away from susceptible animals. Animals at risk should keep indoors at night to be away from mosquitoes. Avoid any transportation of animals at night. Brushing animals at risk with lime, quicklime, or slaked lime that forms a layer on the skin and decreases the ability of mosquitoes to reach the skin is advisable, he said.
