KHYBER: The lumpy skin disease (LSD) killed more than 100 domestic cattle and affected dozens of others during the last couple of weeks in different parts of Khyber tribal district, particularly in Tirah and Loe Shalman.

The residents of the remote Madan locality of Tirah told Dawn that more than 20 cows were killed by the disease in the valley as there was no treatment facility for the affected animals.

Zarin Khan, a resident of Maidan, said that the rapid spread of LSD terrified the locals as they lost their cows and a number of others were affected by the disease with no official assistance in sight.

He said that people were relying hugely on cattle for their daily requirements for dairy products.

Nauroz Khan, a local dispenser, told Dawn that most of the livestock owners arranged vaccines on their own as the lone veterinary dispensary in Karnakhel locality of Maidan was not yet to be made operational.

He said that the owners of affected animals were approaching private clinics for treatment where no medicines or vaccines were available, nor the local paramedics or dispensers had any knowledge about the treatment of LSD.

He said that the disease started affecting local livestock after the arrival of sacrificial animals from other parts of the province during Eidul Azha. “We brought the matter into the notice of local officials but no timely action was taken to save our domestic animals,” he lamented.

Reports about the sudden death of a number of cattle heads were also received from Sheen Pokh locality of Loe Shalman in Landi Kotal.

Malak Imroz and Gulab Khan, residents of the area, bordering Afghanistan, told Dawn that livestock was one of the major sources of livelihood for them and the sudden spread of LSD deprived them of their precious ‘assets’.

They said that the number of the domestic animals in Sheen Pokh was more than 2,000. They said they were at the risk of losing hundreds of their domestic animals if they were not provided with timely medical assistance. “We have already lost 119 cattle due to the deadly disease,” they added.

Aftab Khan, an official of livestock department, when contacted, said that several teams were constituted to vaccinate all the animals in Sheen Pokh locality.

He said that the newly constructed veterinary hospital in Sheen Pokh would be made operational in two weeks.

Published in Dawn, August 17th, 2022