Nuclear-derived techniques help farmers combat lumpy skin disease outbreaks in Asia (Spanish Edition)

Over the past four years, a disease once limited to the hot and humid climates of Africa has appeared for the first time in various parts of Asia and Europe. Afflicting cattle with a debilitating and sometimes deadly condition, the rapid spread of lumpy skin disease is as mysterious as it is alarming. Laboratories of the IAEA and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) are supporting Asian countries in diagnosing lumpy skin disease and identifying different genetic strains of the disease. This is a prerequisite to launching an effective response to this animal disease pandemic. According to the FAO, the disease causes significant economic losses for farmers, while creating costs to authorities for preventive and control measures. The FAO estimates that the lumpy skin disease outbreak in the Balkans in 2016–2017 directly cost affected countries more than €20 million in vaccinations, compensation for culled and dead animals, and aerial fumigation. The economic impact of this much wider Asian outbreak is yet to be quantified.