South Korea Reports Another Case of Lumpy Skin Disease

South Korea has confirmed another case of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in cattle, bringing the total number of cases this year to eight, government officials announced on Saturday.

The latest outbreak occurred on Friday at a livestock farm in Goseong, approximately 160 kilometers northeast of Seoul, as reported by Yonhap news agency. This new case follows similar confirmations at farms in Yangyang and Pyeongtaek just a day prior.

To prevent further spread, the government has quarantined the affected farms and implemented strict containment measures. The agriculture ministry has urged provincial governments to remain vigilant and complete the vaccination of cattle by the end of the month.

LSD is a highly contagious disease characterized by skin lesions, fever, and loss of appetite, which can lead to decreased milk production and even death. The disease spreads among cattle and buffalo through mosquitoes and other blood-feeding insects.

South Korea reported its first case of LSD this year in August at a farm in Anseong, located about 65 kilometers south of Seoul, where 80 cows were affected. This marked the first instance of LSD in the country since November of the previous year.

In response to the ongoing threat, the agricultural ministry has announced plans to commercialize a genetic diagnostic kit for LSD by 2025. Developed in collaboration with Median Diagnostics, this kit will allow for the selective culling of infected cattle, reducing the need to destroy entire herds. The new technology is expected to deliver results within eight hours, significantly quicker than previous methods that took a week.