Which of the Goat Pox Vaccines (GPV), (also used to control Lumpy Skin Disease, LSD), is safe and effective? कैसे गौरक्षक हो भाई?

Lumpy Skin Disease

The lumpy skin disease was observed for the first time in Asia in 2019, in countries such as Bangladesh, Nepal, China, India Pakistan and next year in 2020 it was reported in Bhutan, Srilanka, Bangladesh Southeast China, and Vietnam. In 2021, LSD expanded to other countries such as Malaysia, Cambodia, and Thailand. 

In the institute research review committee (IRC) discussion (on 01-03-2024) of results of an experiment conducted at IVRI Mukteshwar revealed that the Goat pox vaccine given for LSD control is ineffective or less effective at the dose was given (3 ml), the dose should have given as 10 ml/animal. This means we have bluffed the whole nation by giving Goat pox vaccine without experimental proof in cattle. But why, for whose benefit?

 कैसे गौरक्षक हो भाई? 

What kind of Holy Cow Protector are you?

क्या यह सच है कि भारत में गोट पॉक्स वैक्सीन DCGI/ CDSCO से बिना किसी परमिशन और अप्रूवल के करोड़ों गायों को एलएसडी से बचाने के नाम पर ठोक दी गई बिना यह जाने कि वैक्सीन कामयाब भी है कि नहीं: एलएसडी से अब तक लाखों गायें काल के गाल में समा चुकी हैं फिर भी भारत एक गौरक्षक देश है

Is it true that to protect from Lumpy Skin Disease, Goat Pox Vaccine has been used in India in many millions of Holy Cows without any permission from the Drug Controller General of India (The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation, CDSCO)? https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313844590_Causes_of_Extinction_and_Decline_of_Indian_Holy_Cows_Killers_of_the_Holy_Cow_in_India

Which of the Goat Pox Vaccines (GPV) also used to control Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is safe and effective?

As per DAHD guidelines (K-11053/69/2019-LH), the Goat pox vaccine (GPV) dose for cattle is 10^3.5 TCID₅₀ for cattle and buffalo above four months of age, and 10³ TCID_50, the dose for goats can be used in cattle and buffalo.

Now come to vaccines available in the market (The major suppliers)

1.   1.   Hester GPV Live IP contains NLT 10^3.0 TCID₅₀ in each mL of _the Goat Pox virus (Uttarkashi strain) (https://www.hester.in/service-product/goat-pox-vaccine-2).

2.    2.  Each mL of the GPV (Raksha Goat Pox Vaccine) produced by IIL, Hyderabad contains (Not less than, NLT) 10^3.00 TCID_50. The vaccine information is not available on the IIL site for livestock vaccines (https://www.indimmune.com/business-unit/animal-health/vaccines/livestock-vaccines) to verify the details of the vaccine. The photo of the vaccine vial indicating the virus concentration is attached herewith.

The truth about achievable Goat Pox Virus concentration in Vero Cells 

As per OIE Terrestrial Manual 2017, a reference strain of Goat Pox virus, usually a vaccine strain known to grow well in tissue culture, with a titer of 10⁶ TCID₅₀ per ml. (https://www.woah.org/fileadmin/Home/eng/Health_standards/tahm/2.07.13_S_POX_G_POX.pdf. 

The newly launched LSD Vaccine by ICAR  is Lumpi-ProVacInd: Experimentally tested for efficacy on 8 animals and for safety on two animals and declared safe and effective.

Which vaccine is Effective in protecting from LSD

              Nobody knows the efficacy of GPV or homologous LSDV to protect from LSD as experiments on cattle and buffalo are either not conducted or conducted on very few animals. Nobody knows about the duration of immunity against LSD granted by any of the vaccines recommended for the same reasons, not being tested.

What International Studies suggest

1. A study suggests that vaccination against LSDV should be carried out with a homologous strain i.e., an LSD virus-based vaccine. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-65856-7.pdf

2. Two GPV vaccines (Gorgan-GPV and RM/65-SPV vaccines) were evaluated against LSD in cattle, in each vaccinated group, cross-neutralizing antibody titers against LSD virus (LSDV) could be detected, but the rate in GGPV-vaccinated calves (GC) was higher than RSVP-vaccinated calves (RC), and immune response to the homologous virus was higher than to the heterologous virus in all time points but the highest difference between them was observed in RVC, and a significant difference was only shown at 21-day post-vaccination (DPV) (P<0.001). The study concluded that only the GGPV vaccine had a good immunogenic response and was considered suitable to control LSD. https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/a704/d75927d72fca4b1d45c6cac156a9e8c9a8f0.pdf?_ga=2.115026180.200791992.1664472964-1604161926.1664472964

This means all GPV vaccines are not equally good for the control of LSD and without testing on cattle can't be used for LSD control. However, the GPV vaccine was recommended in India without any test/ experiment on the target animals.

The most probable reason- Why Goat Pox Vaccine was recommended by Dr. RK Singh (Director IVRI at the time of recommendation) for use to control LSD-Money-Money and Money (A big chunk of Royalty goes to the inventor) without testing any efficacy in cattle to prevent LSD.
Why not the Sheep pox vaccine (SPV) recommended? Because SPV is produced by State Biologicals, there is no scope for money in the form of Royalty!!!!

The truth of GPV recommendation for LSD control: The ICAR-IVRI said that they have not recommended GPV but DOAHD replied in RTI that ICAR-IVRI recommended it.

The then Director ICAR-IVRI, Izatnagar, Dr. RK Singh, himself recommended the GPV for LSD control in India without testing any efficacy or experiment for the purpose.

Revealed through RTI (CDSCO/R/E/22/000283):

In India: GPV was never approved for preventing LSD by DCGI (the regulatory body of India authorizing the use and sale of all vaccines, medicines, and other therapeutic materials). Nobody knows how DADF & IVRI recommended it on their own, surpassing all DCGI & Govt. Regulations. How the DADF is functioning either God or P Rupala or might be PMOIndia knowing.

What may be the future vaccine for LSD? If you are thinking of wiping out disease from your country you need to have either a killed or inactivated or subunit vaccine. Live attenuated vaccines always have the risk of reversion and complementation or recombination. For the same cause, a single-dose vaccine for lumpy skin disease is under development. Scientists at The University of Queensland are developing a protein-based vaccine to protect Australia’s beef industry from LSD. A collaboration between UQ’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and The Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) is developing a single-dose vaccine for the highly contagious viral disease that causes scabby skin nodules and swelling in cattle and buffalo.

After a year, now:

Should there be no legal case against the recommended use of the Goat pox vaccine (GPV), which is proven useless now in challenge studies but billions of doses have already been used for fake control of LSD? The GPV was recommended by DAHD on Dr. RK Singh's advice, Ex. Director of IVRI (inventor of GPV who earned crores in royalty) without doing any vaccine trial in cattle or buffalo, it seems that the GPV was aimed at bluffing the nation and livestock farmers and benefitting some rogues of humanity.

I wrote about the same bluff and fear a year ago through this blog only.

No other than the @Min_FAHD with @PRupala bluffed the Nation and Livestock farmers in the name of LSD control by allowing non-tested GPV to be inoculated in millions of cattle despite the warning about the ensuing bluff.

Should we rely on the Goatpox Vaccine for the control of LSD?

At IVRI (the vaccine's inventor), the GPV vaccine was used first for mass vaccination of cattle in Oct 2021 & and boosted again in April 2022. The outcome: A devastating LSD outbreak occurred in Oct-Nov 2022, killing 5 Tharparkar animals & and some more cattle of other breeds & hundreds of cattle suffered from LSD. In Feb- March 2023 IVRI used the LSD ProVac vaccine at its Dairy farm, let's hope for the good. However, it is said that recovered animals have lifetime immunity.

एलसीडी से बचाव के लिए गायों में गोटपॉक्स वैक्सीन लगवाए कि नहीं, आप स्वयं निर्णय करें.

आईवीआरआई में एलसीडी से बचाव के लिए 2021 अक्टूबर में पूरे डेरी फॉर्म के पशुओं को गोटपॉक्स वैक्सीन का टीका लगा फिर इम्यूनिटी को सुदृढ़ करने के लिए अप्रैल 2022 में बूस्टर टीका लगाया गया, और फल क्या मिला अक्टूबर नवंबर 2022 में डेरी फार्म में एलसीडी का बड़ा आउटब्रेक हुआ जिसमें पांच थारपारकर नस्ल के को गोपशु और कुछ दूसरी नस्ल के गौ स्वर्ग सिधार गए, बहुत से पशु इस रोग से पीड़ित भी हुए, और अब फरवरी-मार्च 2023 में पूरे फॉर्म पर नई एलसीडी प्रोवैक वैक्सीन का उपयोग करके एलसीडी से बचाव का पुख्ता इंतजाम किया गया है, देखिए होता है क्या वैक्सीनेशन का फायदा. वैसे यह भी बताया गया है की पशु एक बार एलसीडी से रिकवर हो जाने पर हमेशा हमेशा के लिए इम्यूनिटी डेवलप कर लेता है और बीमारी नहीं होती.

Above in the screenshot are LSD inventor's (Dr. Naveen Kumar) views.

Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) not only killed several holy cows at the end of 2022 at ICAR-IVRI, the Institute that developed the said vaccine, even after full vaccination (booster) with the Goatpox Vaccine recommended without any vaccine trial. Now, in Pune, In September 2023, About 120 cattle succumbed to death due to lumpy skin disease in the district since April this year despite a vaccination drive, a report of the Zilla Parishad’s animal husbandry department showed. The maximum number of deaths occurred in Shirur, Khed, and Indapur tehsils, an official said, adding that the vaccine did not ensure 100% coverage against the disease. The district animal husbandry officer said that they have achieved 99% of vaccination for LSD through 228 centres, and added that the efficacy of the vaccine (GPV) is up to 72%.

Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/120-cattle-succumb-to-lumpy-skin-disease/articleshow/103825418.cms?from=mdr

RTI reveals that the Goat Pox vaccine used for control of LSD in bovines was neither tested experimentally in bovines nor clearance was obtained from CDSCO for its use, nor it is known how many times and at what interval it should be repeated.