KARACHI: As many as 156 animals have died owing to lumpy skin disease among cattle in Karachi, according to a report on Sunday.

The provincial task force said in its report as many as 955 new cases of lumpy skin had been detected by the authorities, bringing the tally of affected cattle to 24,182. The task force said in its report and 6,975 animals had also recovered from the disease. Previously, the Sindh government decided to shut down cattle markets across the province amid the emergence of the Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) epidemic caused by a vector-borne virus.

The Sindh government livestock and animal husbandry department notified the closure of cattle markets, and also advised against consuming meat and milk of infected animals. The livestock department had also advised cattle owners to separate their sick animals from healthy ones and frequently use an anti-mosquito spray to prevent animals from contracting LSD.