Lumpy skin disease cases grow in South Korea

Seoul: South Korea has reported an additional case of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in cattle, raising the total number of confirmed cases this year to 14, the agriculture ministry here said on Saturday.

The latest case was detected at a cattle farm in Munkyong, some 140 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The ministry has issued a 24-hour standstill order for personnel and vehicles associated with the farm and related facilities in six neighbouring regions. On Friday, South Korea also confirmed three more separate cases, reports Yonhap news agency.

The government will deploy all available disinfection vehicles to prevent the spread of the disease, it added.

LSD is a highly contagious disease that causes skin lesions, fever and loss of appetite, often resulting in reduced milk production and, in severe cases, death. It affects cattle and buffalo, and is transmitted by mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects.

South Korea also confirmed separate cases from Inje, 118 kilometers east of Seoul, and Dangjin, 80 kilometers south of the capital city.

To prevent further infections, the government has cordoned off the affected farm and implemented quarantine measures, according to the officials.

The agriculture ministry called on provincial governments to stay vigilant against additional cases breaking out across the nation and complete vaccination of cattle by the end of this month.

The country reported its first case of LSD in cattle this year in August. The case was confirmed at a livestock farm in Anseong, located some 65 kilometres south of Seoul, breeding 80 cows, the Agriculture Ministry said. It was the first LSD case in South Korea since November last year. Meanwhile, South Korea’s agricultural ministry recently said it plans to commercialise a genetic diagnostic kit for LSD in 2025.

The genetic kit will help selectively cull infected cattle rather than destroying the entire herd.