Epidemiological Status and Economic Impact of Lumpy Skin Disease-Review

Lumpy skin disease is an acute infectious disease of cattle endemic in almost African countries, Middle East countries, and Mediterranean regions. It is caused by a virus associated with the Neethling poxvirus in the genus Capripoxvirus of the family Poxviridae. Clinically sick animals are the main source of infection. Generally, the clinical severity of the disease depends on susceptibility, immunological status, and age of the host population and dose and route of virus inoculation. The disease is characterized by fever, enlarged lymph nodes, firm and circumscribed nodules in the skin, and nodules are particularly noticeable in the hairless areas. It occurs in all agro-climatic conditions but it is common in low lying areas in particular and along watercourses. It is transmitted by insect vectors in cattle sharing similar grazing and watering areas and those congregated in the same barn. It is economically devastating viral diseases that cause several financial problems in livestock industries as a result of significant milk yield loss, infertility, weight loss, abortion, reduced output of animal production, increase production costs due to increased costs of disease control, trade limitation, and sometimes death in most African countries including Ethiopia. An effective control measure of the disease is achieved through mass vaccination through the separation and culling of infected animals. Good understanding of the epidemiology, economic significance, and control mechanisms of the disease is needed to design suitable control measures.