Suspected Cases of Lumpyskin Disease in Pyeongtaek and Gimpo... Gyeonggi Province Mobilizes Full Effort Including Vaccination Response

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

Gyeonggi Province has initiated emergency quarantine measures, including conducting detailed inspections of suspected livestock and completing vaccination by the 26th for farms related to Pyeongtaek, following confirmed cases of Lumpy Skin Disease at a dairy farm in Pyeongtaek and suspected cases in Gimpo.

Earlier, on the 20th, Lumpy Skin Disease was confirmed at a farm in Cheongbuk-myeon, Pyeongtaek, followed by reports of suspected cases at Farm B in Pyeongtaek and Farm C in Gimpo on the 21st.

On the 21st, Gyeonggi Province immediately dispatched livestock quarantine officers to the suspected farms in Pyeongtaek and Gimpo to conduct on-site epidemiological investigations and collect samples. These were sent for detailed testing at the Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory and confirmation tests at the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency. On the same day, emergency vaccinations were completed for 74 dairy cows at the Goyang Dairy Improvement Center located in Goyang City.

To prevent the spread of the disease, Gyeonggi Province began emergency vaccination of 38,980 cattle across 502 livestock farms within a 10 km radius of Cheongbuk-myeon, Pyeongtaek, with plans to complete vaccinations by the 26th. Additionally, movement restrictions have been imposed on livestock farms within 10 km of Pyeongtaek and Gimpo, and clinical examinations and detailed inspections of suspected livestock will be conducted by the 22nd.

Furthermore, to control pests such as mosquitoes known to transmit Lumpy Skin Disease, all available disinfection equipment, including disinfection vehicles, will be mobilized to continuously disinfect farms and surrounding roads.

Previously, when news of the first domestic occurrence of Lumpy Skin Disease was reported at a livestock farm in Chungbuk on the 20th, Gyeonggi Province formed a quarantine task force to respond urgently.

Oh Byung-kwon, the First Deputy Governor of Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Since this is the first occurrence in the country, there may be confusion among livestock farmers. We ask all livestock farms raising cattle in the province to promptly share information about the situation and actively participate in containment and quarantine efforts," adding, "We must ensure thorough measures to prevent further spread at this early stage."

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, a sharp decline in milk production, and temporary or permanent infertility, with a mortality rate reaching 10%, causing significant damage to farms. The disease was first identified in Zambia, Africa, in 1929, spread through Europe in 2013, and has occurred in Asian countries such as China, Taiwan, and Mongolia since 2019. This is the first occurrence in South Korea.