August 19, 2024

South Korea strengthens efforts to combat lumpy skin disease, ASF

South Korea's agriculture ministry announced that it has intensified disinfection and vaccination operations at local farms following recent reports of lumpy skin disease and African swine fever (ASF), The Korea Times reported.

The announcement follows the detection of the first lumpy skin disease case in nine months at a cattle farm in Anseong, located approximately 65 km south of Seoul.

In addition, South Korea confirmed its seventh ASF case this year at a swine farm in Yeongcheon, 246 km southeast of Seoul.

The agriculture ministry is currently conducting epidemiological investigations at the affected farms. In response to the outbreaks, authorities have implemented standstill orders in the surrounding areas to contain the spread of the diseases.

As a precautionary measure, six cows that tested positive for lumpy skin disease, along with 1,490 swine, have been culled, the ministry reported.

In response to the outbreak, South Korea is expediting its vaccination efforts against lumpy skin disease in Anseong and neighbouring regions.

Vice Agriculture Minister Park Beom-su emphasised the urgency of the situation during an emergency meeting, noting that lumpy skin disease can spread rapidly over a wide area through insect transmission.

Park also urged regional governments to intensify disinfection measures to curb the spread of ASF, especially considering the increasing number of cases found in wild boar populations.

Despite the recent outbreaks, the agriculture ministry reassured the public that the current cases of animal diseases are unlikely to have an immediate effect on the supply of livestock products ahead of the Chuseok holiday in September, given the limited number of affected animals so far.

-      The Korea Times