First case of type A foot-and-mouth disease in cattle in Kinmen, 99% similar to the 2013 Guangdong strain
The Council of Agriculture convened an expert panel meeting today. After comparing the results of nucleic acid sequence analysis, it was confirmed that the suspected detection of type A foot-and-mouth disease virus nucleic acid reaction at a cattle farm in Kinmen that broke out last night showed 99% similarity to the type A foot-and-mouth disease that occurred in Guangdong, mainland China, in 2013, confirming it as the first case of type A foot-and-mouth disease in the country. It is understood that in addition to the 175 yellow crossbred cattle at that farm needing to be culled, 100 head at a neighboring cattle farm may also need to be culled.
In mid-April, the Agricultural Technology Research Institute and the Animal Health Research Institute respectively detected positive non-structural protein (NSP) antibodies for foot-and-mouth disease in 1 and 2 cattle at a certain cattle farm in Kinmen. The Kinmen County Animal and Plant Disease Control Center immediately imposed movement controls on the source farm, and on April 23 conducted another clinical inspection of the farm and collected serum and throat fluid samples from 15 cattle for testing. The Animal Health Research Institute confirmed on May 1 that 1 cattle at the farm still showed a positive NSP antibody reaction. After the Kinmen Disease Control Center collected related samples from that NSP antibody-positive cattle again on May 2, it immediately carried out preventive culling and disinfection of the entire site.
The Council of Agriculture held a press conference last night to announce this news to the public, and held an expert meeting this morning, confirming the case as type A foot-and-mouth disease. Based on the on-site situation, experts assessed that there was no sign of the epidemic spreading. In addition to culling the cattle at the farm, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine of the Council of Agriculture simultaneously imposed movement controls and clinical visits on cloven-hoofed animals within a 3-kilometer radius of the farm, and conducted sampling and monitoring of livestock farms with cloven-hoofed animals within a 1-kilometer radius. Meat markets, slaughterhouses and animal transport vehicles must be cleaned and disinfected, and at the same time the transport of live cloven-hoofed animals, fresh and processed meat products from Kinmen County to Taiwan is prohibited.
To prevent the incursion of the type A foot-and-mouth disease virus from Kinmen County, the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine of the Council of Agriculture will coordinate with the Coast Guard Administration of the Executive Yuan, the Customs Administration of the Ministry of Finance and the various bureaus of the Council of Agriculture to strengthen anti-smuggling and quarantine work at fishing ports, coastal areas and airports, and at the same time calls on the public not to illegally smuggle or bring animals and their products back into the country.
Regarding the past situation of live cloven-hoofed animals being transported from Kinmen to Taiwan, according to data from the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine, before April this year Kinmen was prohibited from transporting live animals such as cattle, sheep and pigs to Taiwan, and it was only opened in April this year. A total of 2 shipments of 90 pigs arrived at Budai Port, then went directly to the Yunlin County meat market for slaughter. Upon arrival at Budai Port, personnel from the disease control center and Director Wen of the Kinmen County Animal and Plant Disease Control Center and others jointly inspected at the port and completed disinfection, to prevent disease from invading livestock farms through the port area.