Shimla, Sep 8 (PTI) The Himachal Pradesh government on Thursday urged the Centre to declare lumpy skin disease an epidemic so that farmers who have lost their cattle to the viral infection can be provided financial assistance under the State Disaster Response Fund.So far, 2,309 cattle have died and 55,926 have been infected with lumpy skin disease in Himachal Pradesh, the government said in a letter to the joint secretary of the Disaster Management Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).Lumpy skin disease is caused by a virus of the capripox genus. It spreads rapidly among cows and buffaloes through flies, mosquitoes and ticks.It causes soft blister-like nodules all over the body, fever, runny nose, watery eyes, salivation, reduced milk yield and difficulty in eating."Taking note of the importance of the matter and widespread... lumpy skin disease in Himachal Pradesh along with other seven states of India, it is requested that the matter be considered to declare it an epidemic...," director cum special secretary (Revenue-DM) Sudesh Kumar Mokhta said in the letter."It is further requested by the (state animal husbandry) department to notify this disease as epidemic so that Disaster Relief and Rehabilitation component of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) can be provided to the aggrieved farmers," he said.Lumpy skin disease cases have been detected in nine out of 12 districts of Himachal Pradesh. Sirmaur, Shimla and Solan districts are the worst affected, Mokhta said.The Department of Animal Husbandry is working on a war footing for its prevention. On August 10, it had declared lumpy skin disease a Scheduled Disease under Chapter-II Section-6 of the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animal Act, 2009, he said. PTI DJI DJI DIV DIV