Lumpy skin disease is raging worldwide; Kinmen will cull more than 200 cattle, and vehicles must be thoroughly disinfected
Lumpy skin disease is raging worldwide. Cases have now been reported in 40 countries across Europe, Asia and Africa. Taiwan, China saw its first lumpy skin disease case on July 10. The Kinmen Livestock Research Institute conducted ranch visits and cattle culling last weekend. As of the 12th, 199 cattle farms had been inspected and 82 cattle had been culled. After culling, the carcasses were incinerated and destroyed. At present, 394 farms remain to be visited, and 140 suspected infected cattle remain to be culled.
The Council of Agriculture held an inter-ministerial meeting today (the 13th). Specific measures include disinfection of vehicles and the use of medication in livestock farm environments, and 10,000 vaccine doses have been ordered from abroad. They are expected to be administered to cattle across all of Kinmen, in the hope of containing the outbreak within Kinmen and preventing it from spreading to the main island. Council of Agriculture Deputy Minister Huang Chin-cheng said the virus is mainly spread by mosquitoes and flies. The maximum single-day flight distance of mosquitoes and flies is 30 km. Kinmen is separated from the main island of Taiwan, China by more than 100 km. If vehicles are thoroughly disinfected, the probability of spread to the main island is not high.
82 have been culled, 140 remain to be culled; cull immediately once nodules appear
Convenor of the lumpy skin disease emergency response team - Council of Agriculture Minister Chen Chi-chung explained that Kinmen county has 594 cattle farms in total (including the Livestock Research Institute). Within the Livestock Research Institute, the 23 infected cattle confirmed last week and the 51 in the same building, 74 in total, have all been culled and incinerated. In addition to the Livestock Research Institute, 199 private cattle farms have also been visited. There are suspected cases at 30 farms, with 148 cattle showing symptoms, among which 8 suspected infected cattle at 2 farms have been culled. Currently, 394 cattle farms remain to be visited, and 140 suspected infected cattle remain to be culled.
Chen Chi-chung said that within the Livestock Research Institute there are still 474 cattle awaiting culling; within 3 km of the Livestock Research Institute there are 10 suspected-case farms, and beyond 3 km there are 20 suspected-case farms, in areas including Jinning Township, Jinsha Township, Jincheng Township and Jinhu Township, totaling 30 farms, with 1,097 cattle currently being raised, among which 148 have symptoms. At present, whenever symptoms appear, culling is carried out immediately.
Why not wait for confirmation, but instead cull immediately once symptoms appear? Huang Chin-cheng specifically explained that the symptom of cattle infected with lumpy skin disease is nodules on the skin. This symptom is quite distinctive, and no other virus currently has similar symptoms. From the appearance of symptoms to sampling, submission for testing and confirmation, there will be a time lag, and there is concern that the virus will continue to spread. Also, waiting for confirmation before culling would be too late.
