Fact-Check: Unrelated Images Shared as Human With Lumpy Skin Disease

Fact-Check | Unrelated photographs from Pakistan was shared as outbreak of lumpy skin disease in India.

(Photo: The Quint)

A photograph of a person with a skin disease has gone viral with a claim that lumpy skin disease (LSD) has now started impacting humans and several people have died because of it.

The claim comes amid reports of thousands of cattle dying due to LSD in at least eight Indian states.

However, we found that photograph was of a patient in Pakistan and he was not suffering from LSD. Reportedly, the patient was suffering from pemphigus vulgaris and herpes infections, was cured and discharged from Jinnah Hospital in Lahore.

Additionally, there are no known cases of LSD in humans till date and as per doctors, it is not zoonotic in nature.

CLAIM

The text on the viral photo said, "लंपी बीमारी का प्रकोप दिनों दिन बढ़ता जा रहा है अगर आपकी गाय भैंस बीमार है तो उसका दूध बिल्कुल न बेचे और न ही सेवन करें और डेयरी इत्यादि पर भी न दे । इस बीमारी का शिकार मनुष्य भी होने लगे है बहुत जरूरत पढ़ने पर ही दूध डेयरी इत्यादि से ले।"

[Translation: The outbreak of lumpy disease is increasing day by day, if your cow or buffalo is sick, then do not sell or consume its milk at all and do not give it to the dairy either. Human beings have also started falling prey to this disease, taking milk from dairy etc.]

(Note: We have refrained from using original images or archives of posts due to distressing nature of the viral posts.)

The viral claim.

(Photo: Facebook/Screenshot)

The image and the claim was widely shared on Facebook. We also received the claim as a query on our WhatsApp tipline.

CAN LSD IMPACT HUMANS? 

According to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (GOI), "Lumpy Skin Disease (LSD) is an infectious viral disease of cattle and buffalo caused by capripox virus. It is transmitted by arthopode vectors such as mosquitoes, bitting flies, and ticks."

It further mentioned that the disease causes mild fever for two-three days followed by "development of stiff, round cutaneous nodules." The mortality rate according to the department was one-five percent.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations' field manual mentions that the lumpy skin disease does not affect humans. We also found studies on LSD that concurs on this point.

We reached out to Dr Vijay Bondre, a senior scientist with the Indian Council of Medical Research – National Institute of Virology, who also confirmed that LSD was not zoonotic (transmissible to humans).

"Till now we have not come across any well studied/defined human case of LSD."

Dr Vijay Bondre

He also clarified that there is no scientifically-proven evidence of transmission of the virus through milk consumption as the virus is not zoonotic in nature. However, he advised handlers to follow proper hygiene practices to minimise the risk of transmission to uninfected animals.

Maharashtra Animal husbandry Commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh had also clarified that LSD "does not infect humans through consumption of milk or meat."

WHAT ABOUT THE IMAGES?

We conducted a reverse image search on the viral photograph and found that it was shared earlier in May.

A tweet carrying three images (including the viral photo) mentioned that the patient was suffering from monkeypox virus (MPV) and was the first case of the virus in Pakistan.

Misinformation on patients having monkeypox in Pakistan.

(Photo: Twitter/Screenshot)

We then searched "monkeypox case reported in Jinnah hospital" and found a fact-check published by a Pakistani digital news publication called The Current.

The story said that reports of two monkeypox cases being found in Pakistan were not true. The article quoted Medical Superintendent Dr Tahir as dismissing the claim.

The National Institute of Health Pakistan had also tweeted to clarify that no cases of monkeypox had been reported as of 24 May 2022. There are still no reported cases of MPV in the country.

We also found an interview with the Medical Superintendent of Jinnah hospital on 7News PK in May. He dismissed the rumours about the person suffering from MPV and stated that the person in the viral image was suffering from pemphigus vulgaris and herpes infections. He further said that the person was treated and discharged one week later.

Evidently, an unrelated photo was shared to claim that LSD has broken the zoonotic barrier and has started infecting humans in India.

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