Concerned at the detection of lumpy virus like symptoms in cattle in three districts - Ranchi, Deoghar and Chatra, Jharkhand government on Tuesday asked the Animal Husbandry Department officials to be on alert.

The lumpy virus like symptoms in cattle come against a backdrop of African swine fever killing over 1,000 pigs in Jharkhand. However, no death of bovine animals due to the viral infection has been reported from the districts so far.

"There have been reports of symptoms like lumpy virus in cattle in Ranchi, Deoghar and Chatra. We are in the process of confirming it and have issued instructions to officials of the Animal Husbandry Department to be on alert and immediately send samples to ICAR - National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal for its confirmation," an official said.?

To check the spread of the disease, the animal husbandry department has issued an advisory to all 24 districts and asked them to send samples, if any such case of lumpy skin disease is reported in their respective areas.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is a contagious viral infection that affects cattle and causes fever, nodules on the skin, and can also lead to death.?Over 67,000 cattle have died since July due to LSD in more than eight states, including Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana. Currently, states are using 'goat pox' vaccine to control the spread of this disease.

(With PTI inputs)