SEOUL: South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs confirmed the first domestic case of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in cows, leading to a "serious" warning issued on Friday.
As reported by Yonhap News Agency, the first outbreak occurred on a cattle farm in the western city of Seosan. Four cows were identified by the farm owner as showing symptoms of LSD. Subsequent in-depth examinations by authorities confirmed the diagnosis. In response, the disaster response headquarters held an emergency meeting to raise the crisis alert to the highest level in their three-tier system and to discuss further countermeasures.
The government implemented quarantine measures, including isolating the farm and culling around 40 cows as a preventive step. Additionally, a 48-hour standstill order was issued on all cattle farms and related facilities across the country starting from 2 p.m. Friday.
LSD is a highly infectious disease transmitted by mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects, affecting cattle and buffalo. While the disease does not pose risks to humans, it can have economic repercussions. South Korea had already designated LSD as a Class 1 infectious animal disease and acquired vaccines against it last year.