Taiwan will finish vaccinating all the country’s cattle against a dangerous insect-borne disease within one week. That was the word from Premier Su Tseng-chang on Friday.
The nation is urgently carrying out inoculations against lumpy skin disease, a bovine illness that causes serious illness and death in cattle populations. The disease does not affect humans.
Last week, Taiwan recorded its first ever case of the illness on the main island. That has prompted the Council of Agriculture to form an emergency response center and inspect all the country’s cattle farms. The government has also purchased 180,000 doses of a vaccine to inoculate every one of Taiwan’s 160,000 cows. Taiwan’s cattle industry is worth NT$14 billion (US$500 million).
On Friday, Premier Su Tseng-chang said the vaccination program was well under way. He says all cattle in the northern half of Taiwan have already been vaccinated. He expects authorities to finish vaccinations within a week.
Su says the shots provide lifetime immunity from the virus, and have no effect on the animals’ meat or milk. He is urging citizens to remain vigilant against the threat of imported diseases to the country’s farming industry.