NEW DELHI: The current outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus, which has spread to almost 15 states and has affected 18.5 lakh bovine animals in the country, is distinct from the virus that was prevalent in India in 2019, said the latest study, adding that 47 unique variants were found in the current version of the fatal viral disease that has killed over 80,000 cattle. 

The study, conducted by scientists at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research-Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB) and the State Disease Diagnostic Centre, Jaipur, has said that as genome sequencing has found that the current outbreak in India has a distinct lineage of the virus and to “characterise circulating strains,” “it is essential for early detection of the disease as well as for formulating interventions for disease control.”

Although previously confined to regions within Africa, the fatal viral disease has caused significantly large outbreaks in many areas of the world in recent years. In 2019, an episode of the disease was reported from India with low rates of morbidity and no reported mortality. 

However, the ongoing outbreak of LSDV has spread to various states and has resulted in the mortality of over 80,000 cattle, including cows, over a short period of three months.

According to Sridhar Sivasubbu, senior principal scientist, CSIR-IGIB and one of the scientists associated with the genome sequencing study, “We have found that the samples sequenced by IGIB have distinct differences when compared with the genomes globally available or those that were sequenced in 2019.” 

“There are 47 unique variants in this current version of the lumpy skin disease virus which has not been documented before,” he told this newspaper.

The scientists analysed five animals with symptoms of the contagious viral disease and compared genomes of the virus extracted from them. 

“Our sample size is small, but we have to start somewhere. Yes, there is a distinct difference in the virus, so attention should be paid to it more closely. We will need large-scale genomic surveillance,” he added.

“Due to the limited number of genome sequences available for LSDV, the source of the outbreak could not be traced, further suggesting that additional genomes for the virus could help uncover potential outbreaks and connect existing outbreaks that are unrelated,” said the authors Lenin Bhatt, Rahul C. Bhoyar, Bani Jolly, Ravi Israni, Harie Vignesh, Vinod Scaria, and Sridhar Sivasubbu in the study, which appeared in the preprint server for biology Bioarxiv. It is yet to be peer-reviewed.

“Analysis of the viral sequences suggests the genomes from the 2022 outbreak harbour many genetic variations compared to the reference genome and form a distinct lineage,” they added.

As India is the largest producer of milk in the world, the spread of LSD across the cattle population in India thus has devastating effects on the rural economy and the livelihoods of dairy farmers, the study added.

The outbreak has also caused concerns about milk production. With a production of about 210 million tonnes, India is the largest producer of milk in the world. The country is also seeing the fastest growth in production at 6 per cent, while production growth at the global level is just 2 per cent.

“Although other capripoxvirus infections, including sheep pox and goat pox, are endemic in India, LSDV infections were considered to be constrained to the Sub-Saharan African region till 1981. As the virus continues to spread and evolve, genomic characterisation of LSDV is thus useful for understanding the epidemiology and evolution of the virus,” the study said. 

What is a lumpy skin disease virus?

The fatal virus mainly affects cows, buffaloes and deer. The United States Department of Agriculture defines Lumpy skin disease (LSD) as a deadly viral disease which spreads when cattles come in direct contact with vectors like mosquitoes, lice, wasps, flies and ticks or through contaminated fodder and water. The outbreaks of LSD occur during warm, wet weather, while the disease usually diminishes in the cooler winter months. It is not a zoonotic virus, so it cannot be transmitted to humans.

How many states are impacted?

LSDV has been reported in various states, but the worst affected are Rajasthan, Gujarat and Haryana. The other states include Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa.

What are the symptoms?

The symptoms include the appearance of nodules on the skin, general malaise, ocular and nasal discharge, fever, and a sudden decrease in milk production. The other symptoms are swelling of peripheral lymph nodes, loss of appetite, and watery eyes, and death. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), the incubation period or the time between infection and symptoms is about 28 days. As the vaccine is yet to be produced, authorities in India are distributing the goat pox vaccine.

Is it safe to consume milk?

According to officials, it is safe to consume milk from infected cattle as it is a non-zoonotic disease. However, milk production gets affected in the infected animal, depending on the severity of the illness and the immunity level of the animal.

Is there a vaccine developed for lumpy skin disease?

On August 10, India launched the indigenous vaccine Lumpi-ProVac to protect livestock from the viral disease. The vaccine has been developed by the National Equine Research Center, Hisar (Haryana), in collaboration with the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izzatnagar (Bareilly). Currently, the government is providing goat pox vaccines to prevent the disease from spreading.

NEW DELHI: With the filing of nomination papers for the Congress presidential elections beginning on Saturday, it may not be a straight fight between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha MP Shashi Tharoor after all. Quite a few names are doing the rounds for entering the fray, including that of former Union minister Manish Tewari after the Gandhi family ruled itself out of the race. 

A senior leader, who flew down to Delhi on Thursday night, told this daily he is holding meetings with several others and weighing his options. “Everybody is exploring. It is sinking in that the Gandhi family is not interfering since Rahul Gandhi made it clear that he is not in the race,” he said.

If Tewari opts to contest, votes will get divided between him and Tharoor, said a leader who was part of the G-23 group. Both Tharoor and Tewari were part of G-23, the ginger group that sought sweeping reforms in the party two years ago. While one G-23 section sees Tharoor as a ‘compromised candidate’ as he met party chief Sonia Gandhi without consulting them, another group feels his popularity may win him some extra votes. 

As for Tharoor, sources close to him said he will collect his nomination papers on Saturday. Though senior leader Digvijaya Singh said that he wouldn’t be contesting, former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath’s name is also doing the rounds. “Kamal Nath wants to be relevant in the state,” said another leader.

Spokies get a gag order
The Congress asked its spokespersons to refrain from commenting on anyone in the party poll fray. The directive came a day after spokesperson Gourav Vallabh dissed Tharoor

MUMBAI:  A picture of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde’s son Shrikant sitting in the CM’s chair has gone viral, drawing Opposition barbs that Shrikant is a ‘super CM’ and that he should respect the dignity of the chair. Shrikant Shinde is a Lok Sabha MP.

“The Opposition is trying to malign my image. The place in the photo is our private residence in Thane, where my father and I have attended to people’s problems for years. It is not an official residence of the CM nor his government office,” said Shrikant. 

He said he was a two-term MP and was aware of the protocol. “Today, the CM  had a video conference, for which the ‘Maharashtra government’ board was kept behind the chair, but I did not know that. Someone has done mischief by secretly clicking photos and sharing them,” said the CM’s son.  In the picture, Shrikant Shinde, the MP from Kalyan, is seen sitting in a chair with a board with “Maharashtra Government-Chief Minister” written behind. 

In an apparent jibe at Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, he also said his father works for 18 to 20 hours a day, and “unlike earlier chief ministers who sat in one place, he is always on the move.” Thackeray had faced criticism for rarely stepping out of home when he was chief minister during the coronavirus pandemic. The state NCP’s youth wing leader Ravi Varpe shared the viral picture on social media. “Best wishes to Shrikant Shinde for becoming the super CM. In the absence of the Chief Minister, his son is in charge of the CM’s post. What kind of Raj Dharma is this?’’ 

Varpe claimed that the photo that he had uploaded in his tweet was from the CM’s official residence. “The chief minister is busy at Ganapati Mandals the responsibility of seeing the work of other people in the state has been given to Srikant Shinde,” he said.  Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MLC and spokesperson Manisha 
Kayande also criticised the CM over the viral picture.

‘My father always on the move, not like older CMs’

In an apparent jibe at Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, he also said his father works for 18 to 20 hours a day, and “unlike earlier chief ministers who sat in one place, he is always on the move.”  Thackeray had faced criticism for rarely stepping out of home  when he was chief minister during the coronavirus pandemic

JAIPUR: With the election for the next Congress party president fast approaching, everyone is now keen on knowing who will be the new Rajasthan Chief Minister.

Current CM Ashok Gehlot had met Rahul Gandhi in Kerala on Thursday and announced his decision to file a nomination for the post of AICC president. Gehlot had also confirmed that he will resign as CM if he becomes the new party president.

Against this backdrop, one of the main contenders Sachin Pilot reached Jaipur on Friday and started lobbying with MLAs.

He also met the Speaker of the Assembly and senior Congress leader CP Joshi.

Joshi, a former Union Minister, is seen as one of the major contenders should Gehlot win and move to Delhi. It is being said that Gehlot has recommended that Joshi be crowned his successor.

Meanwhile, Gehlot himself returned to Jaipur from Kerala via Shirdi late Friday evening.

In the morning, Pilot reached the assembly and met the MLAs supporting him, including Ved Prakash Solanki, Indraj Gurjar and Rajesh Pareek. He also met Gehlot supporters Girraj Malinga and independent MLA Khushveer Jojawar. After these meetings, Pilot smiled and left with folded hands.

He then reached Speaker Joshi’s chamber after meeting a dozen MLAs in the assembly lobby. At this meeting, Gehlot’s close aide Dharmendra Rathod, cabinet minister Pratap Singh Khachariawas and Gujarat Congress in-charge Raghu Sharma were also present.

Sources said that Pilot has started talking to Congress MLAs of all factions. These include those MLAs who were once considered his staunch opponents.

The meeting between Joshi and Pilot is especially being considered very important. Right now both these leaders are seen as frontrunners to replace Gehlot. Although the conversation between the two leaders has not been disclosed, it is believed that there has been a round of consultation between them regarding the future CM of Rajasthan.

Gehlot’s statement, in which he had spoken of the need to consider the sentiments of MLAs in the choice of a new CM, is believed to be behind Pilot’s aggressive lobbying.

At the moment, 80 percent of the MLAs are with Gehlot and about 20 percent are in favor of Pilot. Pilot is trying to woo the MLAs in the Gehlot camp away in his favor.

The Pilot camp also wants Gehlot to leave the CM chair before he is crowned as the President of AICC because they fear that he may create difficulties otherwise.

When asked in Kerala about who will succeed him if the CM’s post falls vacant in Rajasthan, Gehlot had said the “decision about the next CM will be taken through a proper process. Sonia Gandhi and general secretary in-charge Ajay Maken will decide together”.

AGARTALA: Former Tripura chief minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Thursday won the byelection to the state’s lone Rajya Sabha seat, a poll official said here.ADVERTISEMENTAds by 

Deb, who has been recently made the BJP in-charge of Haryana, polled 43 votes- 36 of the saffron party and seven of its ally, the IPFT, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kiran Gitte said.

All 15 CPI(M) legislators in the state cast their votes in favour of their nominee Bhanu Lal Saha, the former finance minister.

Interestingly, Congress’s lone MLA Sudip Roy Barman abstained from voting.

State Congress president Birajit Sinha Said “Since we fielded no candidate, the party had requested Barman to skip the voting process.

” The seat had fallen vacant as Manik Saha, on being made the chief minister, resigned to contest an Assembly bypoll.

Taking to social media, Deb expressed his gratitude to the legislators of the BJP and the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT) for electing him as Rajya Sabha MP from the state.

He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for giving him an opportunity to represent Tripura in the Upper House of Parliament.

“With the blessings of Mata Tripurasundari, I will continue to serve the beloved people of Tripura till my last breath,” the former CM said in a Facebook post.

CHENNAI/NEW DELHI/BENGALURU/VIJAYAWADA/KOCHI: In one of their biggest joint operations against terror funding and terror activities, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Thursday arrested 106 activists of the Popular Front of India (PFI) from 93 locations across 15 states, including Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Assam, Andhra Pradesh and Delhi even as top officials met to discuss a likely ban on the organisation.

During the coordinated nationwide operation, which began at around 3:30 am, PFI Chairman O M A Salam, national general secretary V P Nasarudeen Elamaram and the organisation’s Delhi unit head Parvez Ahmed, among others, were taken into custody. Salam was picked up from his home at Kerala’s Malappuram, after the place was searched. Ahmed’s residence in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar was also raided.

Raids were also carried out in Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal, Bihar and Manipur. The NIA said 45 of the total arrests were made by the agency. Even as the raids and arrests were underway, Union Home Minister Amit Shah met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and NIA Director-General Dinkar Gupta to discuss details of the case, the likely fallout and implications.

“While 19 accused have been arrested from Kerala, 11 have been arrested from Tamil Nadu, 7 from Karnataka, 4 from Andhra Pradesh, 2 from Rajasthan, 1 each from UP and Telangana,” an NIA statement read. Among the arrested leaders in Kerala were PFI’s state president C P Mohammed Basheer, national council member P Koya and senior functionaries Jaseer K P, Shafeer K P, E Abu Backer, E M Abdul Rahiman, Najumudeen, Sainuddeen T S, Yahiya Koya Thangal, K Muhammedali, C T Sulaiman, P K Usman, Karamana Ashraf Moulavi, Sadiq Ahmed, Shihas, Ansari P and M M Mujeeb.

The 11 PFI functionaries arrested in Tamil Nadu were identified as Syed Ishaaq, Advocate Khalid Mohammed, A M Idris, Mohamed Abuthahir, S Khaja Maideen, Yasar Arafat, Barakathullah, Fayaz Ahamed, M Mohammed Ali Jinnah, Mohammed Yousuf and A S Ismail. 

In Karnataka, the NIA, with help of local police searched suspects’ locations in Bengaluru and Mangaluru and arrested Anis Ahmed, Afsar Pasha, Abdul Wahid Sait, Yasar Arafath Hasan, Mohammed Shakif alias Shakif, Mohammed Farooq ur Rahman and Shahid Nasir.

Sources said documents, cash, sharp-edged weapons and large number of digital devices were seized during the raids. The NIA is investigating a total of 19 PFI-related cases, including five registered on Thursday.