99.5% of cattle vaccinated against lumpy skin disease

A cow vaccinated against lumpy skin disease eats cattle feed at a farm in Daejeon on Wednesday. [JOONGANG PHOTO]

The Agriculture Ministry said it has vaccinated 99.5 percent of cattle in the country against lumpy skin disease (LSD) as of Thursday.

The authorities have inoculated more than 4.05 million out of the country's 4.08 million cows so far to protect them against the disease, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Thursday.

The government launched the intensive vaccination campaign last month after reporting its first-ever case of LSD on Oct. 20 under the plan to vaccinate all cattle by Friday.

It takes around three weeks for cattle to develop antibodies.

The country has since confirmed 85 cases nationwide, including one from Wednesday, and authorities are conducting an in-depth analysis of eight suspected cases, the ministry said.

BY KIM JU-YEON, YONHAP [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]