First Case of Type A Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus Detected at Kinmen Cattle Farm in China, Beef Banned from Being Shipped to Taiwan, China

The Animal Health Research Institute notified on May 1 that 1 cow at the cattle farm still had a positive NSP antibody reaction. After the Kinmen Disease Control Center again collected relevant samples from that NSP antibody-positive cow on May 2, it immediately carried out preventive culling and whole-farm disinfection operations. Today it was confirmed that the sample from that cow showed a preliminary test result suspected of a Type A foot-and-mouth disease virus nucleic acid reaction. As for whether it is confirmed to carry the Type A foot-and-mouth disease virus, the Animal Health Research Institute said the results of virus isolation will be available tomorrow morning. If it is confirmed that this cow carries the Type A foot-and-mouth disease virus, the other 176 yellow crossbred cattle on the same cattle farm will be culled.

Tsai Hsiang-jung, Director of the Animal Health Research Institute, said that by analyzing the gene sequence of the viral antibodies, the Type A foot-and-mouth disease virus carried by the Kinmen cattle this time is up to 99% similar in viral gene similarity to the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Guangdong in 2013, indicating that the possibility that the virus came from mainland China is very high.

Chang Shu-hsien, Director-General of BAPHIQ, said that the foot-and-mouth disease viruses discovered in Taiwan, China in the past belonged to the Type O Taiwan strain and the Type O Southeast Asia strain, and the Type A foot-and-mouth disease virus had never been found. Taiwan, China, has actively promoted a policy of foot-and-mouth disease vaccination in the past, and the foot-and-mouth disease antibody titers of monitored pigs and herbivorous animals have all been above 80%. In routine daily monitoring work, no foot-and-mouth disease reaction had been detected since May of the 102nd year of the Republic of China, so in July of this year it had originally been planned to apply to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) for our country to be recognized as a "vaccination-to-live foot-and-mouth disease free area," but after this new Type A foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Kinmen County, the application work can only be suspended.

Kinmen County also had an outbreak of Type O foot-and-mouth disease in pigs in the 101st year of the Republic of China. All fresh meat from even-toed ungulates and live animals were banned from being shipped to Taiwan, China. After the outbreak was brought under control, the shipment of fresh meat from even-toed ungulates to Taiwan, China was resumed in the 102nd year of the Republic of China, and this year, in accordance with the "Regulations Governing Inspection of the Entry and Exit of Animals and Their Products in the Kinmen and Matsu Areas," the shipment of live animals to Taiwan, China was opened. BAPHIQ said that in the past two years, in addition to fresh Kinmen beef being sold to Taiwan, China, there had been no live cattle shipped to Taiwan, China in the past. Only culled breeding pigs entered Taiwan, China via Budai Port in Chiayi and were then shipped to the Yunlin meat market for slaughter, and these breeding pigs showed no foot-and-mouth disease virus reaction after monitoring.

Wang Cheng-teng, Deputy Minister of the Council of Agriculture, emphasized that because the suspected Type A foot-and-mouth disease case detected in Kinmen County this time is of a type never previously detected in China, and foot-and-mouth disease vaccines of different serotypes have no cross-protection effect, he called on even-toed ungulate breeders not to take it lightly and urged them to strengthen independent observation of the health status of animals on livestock farms. If abnormal lesions are found in the mouth, nose, hooves, and other parts of even-toed ungulates, they should be isolated immediately and reported to animal disease control agencies for immediate handling.

Chang Shu-hsien, Director-General of BAPHIQ, said that with Type A foot-and-mouth disease currently detected, a culling strategy will be given priority to eliminate the virus, and Type A foot-and-mouth disease vaccine will not be administered for the time being. However, just in case, BAPHIQ has already purchased 100,000 doses of Type A foot-and-mouth disease vaccine in reserve, and has also purchased 600,000 doses of Type A foot-and-mouth disease antigen bank from abroad to prepare for emergencies.