Go to contents

Gov’t issues higher alert on foot-and-mouth disease

Posted January. 31, 2019 07:41,   

Updated January. 31, 2019 07:41

한국어

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Wednesday heightened its foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) alert by two notches to the second-highest level, after two FMD cases were reported in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province that caused concerns over additional outbreaks and spread ahead of the Lunar New Year’s holidays.

Earlier on the day, the ministry confirmed an O-type FMD case at a cattle farm in Anseong, the same type as one confirmed at dairy cow farm on Monday. The O-type FMD spreads faster than the A-type.

With the higher alert, the ministry has expanded its anti-FMD headquarters and plans to set up quarantine task forces not only in Gyeonggi Province but also in all the other cities and provinces across the nation.

The ministry will also conduct a precautionary culling of animals from four establishments run by the owner of the affected farms and their families and conduct a scrutiny of 14 farms raising cloven-hoofed animals within a 500-meter radius from the affected farms.

In addition, the ministry will complete emergency vaccination of every cattle and pigs in the Gyeonggi and Chungcheong regions. A ministry official urged owners and workers of animal farms across the country to refrain from meeting each other in person, warning that livestock markets could be shut down to prevent the spread of the disease, if necessary.


Jun-Il Kim jikim@donga.com