KARACHI: After weeks of anxiety and fear among people, mainly in urban centres of Sindh, over growing number of lumpy skin disease in cattle, the Aga Khan University Hospital — one of the leading health science institutions — on Thursday declared that the infection “doesn’t cause human disease”.

In an alert, the institution concluded that consuming the meat and milk of infected cattle “doesn’t transmit the infections to humans”.

Titled “Emerging Infection Alert: Lumpy Skin Disease”, the alert by the institution called for food safety and all due precautions, advising consumption of only pasteurised or well-boiled milk, and its byproducts and well-cooked meat.

The AKUH department of infection prevention and hospital epidemiology came up with details of its findings about the subject infection referring to its “Aetiology Epidemiology Diagnosis Prevention and Control References”.

Finding may help neutralise alarm in public, bring down poultry prices

In a brief supplemented by the alert and reference, the AKUH shared key points of its findings with title of each area of its impact. While sharing the cause of its spread, it said that it was possibly caused by biting of insects and through contact with secretion, lesion and fomites. The most relevant part of the alert for consumers was shared under the title “Threat to Human”, under which the institution answered almost every crucial question. “Minimal to none,” said the first point of the alert.

“Human disease has not been well documented. Consuming meat or milk doesn’t transmit the infection to human,” it said. However, it added, in order to prevent other infections, food safety should be ensured which included consumption of only pasteurised or well-boiled milk and milk products, thorough cooking of meat, and proper washing of hands with soap and water after handling meat.

Earlier in the opening of its alert, the AKUH made it clear: “this is an infection of cattle and does not cause human disease.”

Only a couple of days ago, the Sindh livestock department had shared the figure which suggested that as many as 54 animals had died due to the Lumpy Skin Disease that has so far infected over 20,000 animals, including 15,100 in Karachi alone, across the province. The department found that the infection had appeared in animals in Punjab and Sindh.

The disease, it said, had so far been found in 20,250 animals in the province, including 15,100 in Karachi, 3,781 in Thatta, 149 in Hyderabad, 656 in Badin, 85 in Jamshoro, 121 in Khairpur, 91 in Sujawal, 64 in Matiari, 35 in Shaheed Benazirabad, 124 in Sanghar, 36 in Thana Bula Khan, four in Qambar-Shahdadkot and two each in Tando Muhammad Khan and Dadu.

Following reports of growing number of the cases among the cattle, a large number of citizens started avoiding meat of cow and veal, lifting the demand of poultry meat which has witnessed staggering increase. The prices of live bird in the city and its clean meat have jumped to an alarming high of Rs330-336 per kg, and Rs570 per kg, respectively. In the first week of February, live bird was available at Rs190-210 per kg, while the meat was sold at Rs350-380.

For the last two years, the Karachi commissioner has kept the price of live bird and its meat unchanged at Rs138 per kg and Rs214 per kg, respectively, in the official price list. The officials concerned have failed to enforce the official price list. Retailers, however, do not display the official rates at their shops, and demand different prices in various areas.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2022

Correction: A previous version of this story said Aga Khan University Hospital issued its findings in a study, but the instituion had shared details about the lumpy skin disease in an alert. The error is regretted.