Authorities in the Ministry of Animal Resources and Fisheries for South Sudan’s Lol State have declared an outbreak of animal skin disease known “lumpy” after the deaths of 85 cattle has been reported in various locations across the state.

Lumpy skin disease is a viral disease of cattle that is spread by biting of insects such as flies or mosquitoes.

It causes nodular skin scratches on the animal’s body, high fever, unwillingness to eat, discharge from the eyes and nose and drop in milk production and weight loss.

Lol state’s director of animal resources and fisheries Augustino Aguot Lueth Agany told Radio Tamazuj that a joint team from the ministry of animal resources and fisheries in collaboration with Concern Worldwide, VSF and FAO have been dispatched on Tuesday last week to the most affected cattle camps at Chel Kou and confirmed the severity of the disease.

“Chel Kou is the main area of biggest outbreak where four bigger cattle camps and the population in those cattle camps are 11,000 herds of cattle. This is where 150 animals were affected and 80 died and the disease is suspected to be 'lumpy' skin disease,” said Aguot.

“The team of veterinarians composed of VSF, ministry staff and Concern Worldwide went and investigated the case and was confirmed to be lumpy skin disease. Therefore we are advising our cattle keepers to use long antibiotic at the movement and the animals can be contained in outbreak areas until the vaccines come from Juba,” Aguot cautioned the herders.

He says other areas have different cases with 5 deaths reported in Majak Baai, Gok Machar, Ariath and some parts around Nyamlel.

“While in Gok Machar, the outbreak is suspected to be contagious disease gobies pneumonia and is a different disease thought to have similarities with diseased infected animals in Chel kou,” he said.

Aguot pointed out that vaccination campaigns will take place tomorrow in the affected camps for other diseases while for “lumpy” skin disease the vaccination will be organized later when vaccines are received from Juba. The last animals’ vaccination in the state was in March this year.

The official urged the general public not to consume meats from dead cattle but instead to burn or bury them for the fear of getting contaminated from other diseases.

Meanwhile, a herder at Gok Machar Akol Mayen claimed more than 7 cows died from his herds and called on animals resources ministry to contain the disease before it spreads to other areas in the county.

“Yes this disease, we don’t know its name, has killed a lot of cows here in Gok Machar. My cows (that died) are more than 7 leave alone other people in the area. When your cow starts dizzying and stops eating you forget it and this is how it killed cows here including big oxen. There are no animals’ medicines and some of us use local herbs and antibiotic only,” narrated Akol in an interview to Radio Tamazuj this morning.

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