Rumpyskin Disease Central Disease Control Headquarters "Vaccine Supply Nationwide by Next Month 1st... Vaccination Completed by 10th"

A total of 2.43 million doses of vaccine distributed to local governments so far
Emergency import of 4 million doses of vaccine to be completed by the 31st
931 teams and 2,065 vaccinators organized nationwide

The Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine is scheduled to be supplied to all local governments nationwide on the 1st of next month. The Central Accident Response Headquarters for Lumpy Skin Disease expects that vaccination of all cattle nationwide will be possible by November 10.

According to the Central Response Headquarters on the 30th, 1.27 million doses of the vaccine arrived in the country on the 28th, and 620,000 doses arrived on the 29th, completing distribution of a total of 2.43 million doses, including 540,000 doses from the pre-stockpile, to local governments. The remaining 2.1 million doses are expected to arrive on the 31st, and the Central Response Headquarters anticipates that vaccine supply to all local governments nationwide will be completed by the 1st of next month.

The Central Response Headquarters will support vaccination for small-scale farms with fewer than 50 cattle by utilizing public veterinarians and others. However, farms with 50 or more cattle will vaccinate their cattle themselves, considering the limited vaccination personnel, the urgency of vaccination, and the farmers' ability to vaccinate.

Currently, 931 teams consisting of 2,065 vaccinators nationwide are organized to support vaccination for about 70,000 small-scale farms with fewer than 50 cattle (about 70% of all farms, which total 100,000 farms) and 1.13 million cattle (about 30% of the total cattle population of approximately 4 million). A Central Response Headquarters official explained, "On average, each team (about 2-3 people) needs to vaccinate about 1,200 cattle," adding, "If one team can vaccinate about 250-300 cattle per day, vaccination is expected to be completed within about five days."

About 30,000 farms with 50 or more cattle (about 30% of the 100,000 cattle farms) must vaccinate their cattle against Lumpy Skin Disease themselves. Unlike foot-and-mouth disease vaccines, which are administered via intramuscular injection, the Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine is administered subcutaneously. Therefore, the Central Response Headquarters has distributed promotional materials and video resources to help farmers vaccinate quickly and correctly. Additionally, when local governments distribute vaccines to farms, they have been instructed to provide detailed guidance and instructions on subcutaneous injection techniques and vaccination procedures.

Large-scale farms often administer subcutaneous injections for parasite control, so the Central Response Headquarters expects that they will be able to administer the Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine as well. However, for farms with 50 or more cattle that have no experience with subcutaneous injections or have difficulty self-vaccinating due to old age or other reasons, local governments will consult with city/provincial veterinary associations to devise vaccination support plans. Prior to this, the Central Response Headquarters consulted with the Korean Veterinary Medical Association regarding support for Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine administration, and the association has agreed to actively cooperate by mobilizing member veterinarians.

Since antibodies form up to three weeks after vaccination with the Lumpy Skin Disease vaccine, the Central Response Headquarters plans to evaluate the outbreak situation and defense levels with experts about three weeks after nationwide vaccination is completed, and review adjustments to the culling scope of affected farms.

Kwon Jae-han, Director of the Agricultural Innovation Policy Office at the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, stated, "The Ministry plans to complete nationwide vaccination by November 10 by mobilizing all available resources," adding, "Even after vaccination is completed, there is a possibility of additional outbreaks during the antibody formation period, so all cattle farms should thoroughly control blood-sucking insects such as mosquitoes and immediately report any suspicious symptoms to livestock quarantine authorities." He also added, "Lumpy Skin Disease is not transmissible to humans, and all infected cattle are culled and do not enter the food distribution network, so the public can safely consume beef and milk."

Meanwhile, according to the Central Response Headquarters, as of 8 a.m. today, a total of 61 cases have occurred in 22 cities and counties. The number of Hanwoo, dairy cattle, and beef cattle at affected farms is 4,107. The Central Response Headquarters is currently conducting tests on four cases.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.