On Sunday, South Korea identified six more cases of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in the country’s central region, prompting health authorities to take urgent steps to prevent the spread of the illness. This brings the total number of officially confirmed LSD cases to 10, just two days after the initial outbreak in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, which is located approximately 98 kilometers southwest of Seoul.
Three of the new cases are from the Seosan region. Quarantine officials have been dispatched to the infected farms and have put them under quarantine.
In response to the first LSD outbreak on Friday, the highest alert level has been issued in the nation’s animal disease control system, with preventive measures being taken to contain the highly contagious disease.
At a meeting on Sunday, the government-led disease control headquarters stated that more LSD cases are likely to occur in South Chungcheong Province, which has already reported seven confirmed cases. To protect the cows, a combined total of 53,000 cows in livestock farms located in South Chungcheong Province and Gyeonggi Province (where three infected farms are located) will be vaccinated. The authorities are also in talks with the finance ministry to acquire vaccines for 1.7 million cows.
LSD is a serious illness that causes skin lesions, fever, and loss of appetite, often resulting in a decline in milk production and even death. It is transmitted through mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo has urged for strong measures, such as culling of affected animals and standstill orders, to prevent the recent outbreak of LSD from spreading to other parts of the nation.