Up to 3 Weeks for Antibody Formation, Additional Occurrence Response
Gyeongsangnam-do completed the mass vaccination of the Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine two days earlier than the original deadline set by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, which was until the 10th of this month.
Gyeongnam Province announced that it began vaccinating 366,000 cattle, including Hanwoo and dairy cows, within the province on the 1st and finished the vaccination on the 8th.
The vaccination team of Gyeongnam Province is administering the Lumpy Skin vaccine to a dairy cow. [Photo by Gyeongnam Provincial Government]
The province increased the vaccination teams from 117 teams with 341 members to 122 teams with 396 members, and deployed support from airborne veterinarians and livestock cooperative employees to carry out the vaccinations.
Although the Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine administration is complete, it takes up to about three weeks for sufficient antibodies to form, so there remains a risk of additional outbreaks until the end of November, and measures will be taken to respond accordingly.
Since the first case occurred in Changwon on October 30th, the vaccination was completed early to block the spread, but the province plans to maintain vigilance.
Kang Gwang-sik, Director of Animal Quarantine Division, requested, “Thanks to the cooperation of local veterinarians and livestock farmers, the vaccination was completed quickly, but until sufficient immunity is secured, please strictly follow basic quarantine rules such as controlling blood-sucking insects, disinfecting inside and outside of livestock barns, and restricting access.”
He added, “All infected cattle have been culled and do not enter the food distribution network, so you can safely consume milk and beef currently distributed in the market.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
