SEOUL — South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs announced on Saturday that nearly 82% of cattle designated for emergency vaccination have been inoculated, as the country grapples with a rising number of lumpy skin disease (LSD) cases.
According to a new release by Yonhap News Agency, Food and Rural Affairs, as of Saturday morning, 357,000 out of 438,000 cows had received the emergency vaccination. The first-ever outbreak of LSD occurred last week, and to date, South Korea has confirmed 55 cases nationwide, including three new ones reported on Saturday. Authorities are also investigating four suspected cases.
So far, 3,758 cattle have been culled to prevent the spread of the disease. In response to the outbreak, the agriculture ministry is intensifying efforts to expand the emergency vaccination campaign, which includes acquiring additional vaccines from overseas. Local governments are overseeing the vaccination program in coordination with the interior ministry.
The country aims to complete the vaccination program by early November. However, authorities anticipate that the number of LSD cases will continue to rise in the near term, given that it takes around three weeks for vaccinated cattle to develop protective antibodies against the disease.
LSD is a highly infectious disease that affects cattle and buffalo. Transmitted by mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects, LSD causes symptoms like skin lesions, fever, and loss of appetite in affected animals, often leading to a decrease in milk production and even death. The disease does not pose a risk to humans.
In a separate incident, a cow escaped from a farm in Imsil, 218 kilometers south of Seoul, on the previous day while waiting to be vaccinated. Authorities confirmed that the cow returned to the farm safely and was not infected with LSD.