PINGTUNG (TVBS News) — The Ministry of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency reported on Saturday (Dec. 9) the first outbreak of Brucellosis in 30 years on a sheep farm in Pingtung County. Three sheep from the farm tested positive for the disease, prompting culling and facility disinfection.
Brucellosis is a zoonotic infectious disease that can transmit between people and animals, known for causing placentitis, infertility, miscarriage, and orchitis (inflammation of testicles in animals).
The Pingtung County Animal Disease Control Center regularly monitors dairy cattle and sheep farms. In 2023, all 111 dairy cattle farms tested negative, with only one of nine sheep farms having positive cases.
The Ministry of Agriculture's Veterinary Research Institute mandates biweekly blood tests for the remaining sheep on the affected farm. Annual monitoring will resume after three consecutive negative biweekly tests.
Since 1962, the Council of Agriculture in Taiwan claimed to have eradicated Brucellosis in dairy cows by 1989. This marks the first positive case identified on a sheep farm.
Li Yung-wen, head of the Pingtung County Animal Disease Control Center, emphasizes biosecurity measures, caution against introducing animals from unknown sources, and immediate reporting of unexplained symptoms in animals.