The vaccines are part of one million doses the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry is providing to assist Indonesia to control LSD.
The vaccines were given to the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture in Jakarta and supplement 435,000 LSD vaccines Australia delivered to Indonesia from March 2022.
Acting Australian Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson said LSD and foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) presented the most significant threats to Australia’s biosecurity in decades.
“Australia is free of both diseases,” Dr Cookson said.
“These vaccines not only assist Indonesia to manage the outbreak, but they also help reduce the risk of LSD entering Australia.
“We have a very close working relationship with Indonesia to provide support for their emergency animal disease control efforts and we will continue to have ongoing engagement with technical support and a range of other programs scheduled for the year.”
Dr Nuryani Zainuddin, director of animal health from Indonesia’s Directorate General of Livestock and Animal Health Services, said LSD had been confirmed in 15 provinces, such as Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, Lampung, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Yogyakarta, and Central Kalimantan Province.
“I extend my gratitude to the Australian Government ... their support will go a long way in strengthening our capacity to control and prevent the further spread of lumpy skin disease,” Dr Zainuddin said.
Australia has never experienced an outbreak of LSD. LSD causes milk-production losses and skin sores in cattle and water buffalo, and can be spread by mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks.
The disease is a major threat to Australia’s livestock industry, trade and our economy.
For more information, visit www.agriculture.gov.au/lumpyskin
