July 18, 2020

China reports cattle skin disease outbreaks from virus

China is facing outbreaks of a cattle virus that causes a condition called 'lumpy skin disease', which began this week in a farm in Zhejiang eastern province, the agriculture ministry said, Reuters reported.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said five cases were found during June in the southern provinces of Guangdong and Fujian and the eastern provinces of Jiangxi and Anhui.

"The local area has effectively dealt with the epidemic," the ministry said of this week's incident. "It has killed two diseased cattle and disposed of them, and (the farm) has been thoroughly and completely disinfected."

The disease does not affect people and is thought to be spread by flies or mosquitoes, causing nodules to form on the skin, with accompanying symptoms such as much lower milk production, but it is rarely fatal.

Taiwan also reported its first case of the disease this month on Kinmen Island.