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| ▲ Cattle wait to be vaccinated at a farm in Seosan, 98 kilometers southwest of Seoul, on Oct. 23, 2023. (Yonhap) |
(LEAD) cattle disease-outbreak
(LEAD) Gov't to complete vaccination of cattle by Nov. 10 to contain lumpy skin disease
(ATTN: ADDS details in para 3, 5; RECASTS headline)
SEOUL, Oct. 30 (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).
South Korea has distributed vaccines for 2.43 million cattle so far, with an additional batch of 2.1 million doses set to arrive here Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said.
So far, South Korea has confirmed 64 LSD cases, including three on Monday, since the first-ever outbreak of the viral infection on Oct. 20. Authorities are investigating four suspected cases as well.
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.
The government, meanwhile, unveiled its plan to inoculate all cattle nationwide next year as well, considering that the vaccine immunity lasts for around a year.
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.
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