Lumpy skin disease cases in Korea reach 61, with 4,107 cattle culled

Cattle wait to be vaccinated at a farm in Seosan, 98 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Seoul, on Oct. 23, 2023. [YONHAP]

The government plans to complete nationwide inoculations of cattle by Nov. 10, officials said Monday, as health authorities were struggling to prevent the spread of lumpy skin disease (LSD).

Korea has distributed vaccines for 2.43 million cattle so far, with an additional batch of 2.1 million doses set to arrive on Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said.

So far, Korea has confirmed 61 LSD cases since the first-ever outbreak of the viral infection on Oct. 20. Authorities are investigating four suspected cases as well.

The number of cattle culled or to be culled has reached 4,107 so far.

Authorities anticipate the number of cases will likely rise for the time being, considering it takes around three weeks for vaccinated cattle to develop protective antibodies against the disease.

LSD, which does not affect humans, is a highly infectious disease that causes skin lesions, fever and loss of appetite, often leading to a fall in milk production and even death. It affects cattle and buffalo via mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects.

Yonhap