An outbreak of goat pox virus at goat ranches has yet to subside, with more than 5,000 infected animals being culled since the first case this year was confirmed on April 9, the Council of Agriculture said on Sunday.
A total of 5,055 infected goats from 32 farms in six counties had been slaughtered as of Friday to prevent spread of the virus, the council said.
Affected farms in Yunlin, Changhua, Tainan, Taichung and Taoyuan counties have also been disinfected, council officials said.
Goat pox, a highly contagious disease that is characterized by fever and discharges from the nose and eyes, causes lesions on the skin and the mucous membranes of the nostrils, mouth and vulva.
The mortality rate is high, with about 50 percent of infected adult animals dying from the disease.
Humans cannot catch the disease and the virus can be destroyed at high temperatures, the council said.
Council officials said that while no meat from infected animals has found its way onto the meat market, the virus can survive in a normal environment for up to six months and is transmittable via slaughterhouse facilities or vehicles.
Goat ranches have been instructed to start a self-monitoring system and notify the council’s Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine immediately if symptoms of the disease are observed, officials said.
The council said it was still investigating the source of the outbreak.
This is the second time the disease has occurred in Taiwan. The first outbreak occurred in July 2008 in Taoyuan County, and was believed to have originated from an animal smuggled into Taiwan from pox-affected areas, which include Vietnam, China, Mongolia, Africa and the Middle East.
The exact source remains unclear, the council said.
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