'First Domestic Case' of Lumpy Skin Disease in Cattle... Gyeonggi-do Implements Emergency Quarantine Measures

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Province has initiated emergency quarantine measures on the 20th following the outbreak of 'Lumpy Skin Disease' at a Hanwoo farm in Seosan, Chungnam.

Immediately after the disease occurrence, Gyeonggi Province guided thorough inspections and disinfection to producer organizations such as Hanwoo and dairy farmers and the veterinary association within the province. At the same time, it formed a Lumpy Skin Disease quarantine situation room to respond urgently.

The government has issued a temporary movement suspension order for 48 hours from 2 p.m. on the 20th to 2 p.m. on the 22nd nationwide, targeting livestock-related facility workers and vehicles at cattle farms, slaughterhouses, feed factories, and other related facilities to prevent the spread of Lumpy Skin Disease. Violating the temporary movement suspension order may result in imprisonment for up to one year or a fine of up to 10 million KRW.

Gyeonggi Province is requiring daily self-disinfection at livestock facilities and cattle farms to prevent the spread of Lumpy Skin Disease and has set up control posts on major roads. Additionally, it is mobilizing a total of 164 available disinfection devices, including joint control teams, to focus disinfection efforts on farms and adjacent roads.

Kim Jong-hoon, Director of the Livestock Animal Welfare Bureau of Gyeonggi Province, urged, "The temporary movement suspension order must be strictly followed, thorough disinfection inside and outside farms should be conducted, and if any cattle show suspicious symptoms, please report immediately."

Lumpy Skin Disease is a Class 1 livestock infectious disease caused by infection of cattle through blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes. Symptoms include high fever, loss of appetite, lymph node enlargement, sharp decline in milk production, temporary or permanent infertility, and it causes a mortality rate of up to 10%, inflicting significant damage to farms.

Lumpy Skin Disease first occurred in Zambia, Africa, in 1929, spread to Europe in 2013, and has been reported in Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, and Mongolia since 2019. This is the first occurrence in South Korea.