Introduction and Spread of Lumpy Skin Disease in South, East and Southeast Asia Qualitative Risk Assessment and Management

This document compiles the latest information available on Lumpy skin disease (LSD) in South, Southeast and East Asia. It describes the complex bovine value chain in the region and provides an overview of control and prevention approaches. Lumpy skin disease is a vector-borne disease of cattle and Asian water buffalo that causes substantial economic losses and requires technically sound and coordinated efforts for its prevention and control. Caused by the lumpy skin disease virus, LSD began to appear in Bangladesh, China and India in July 2019. In 2020 it spread to other parts of China and India as well as to Bhutan and Nepal. According to the paper, the economic impact of LSD in these countries has been estimated at up to USD 1.45 billion in direct livestock and production losses. The cost effectiveness estimate demonstrates a strong economic justification for vaccination under any scenario, since direct vaccination costs are lower than estimated direct losses, even without considering potential additional indirect losses. The paper suggests exploring regional funding mechanisms and approaches to harmonize vaccination strategies.