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African swine flu with a fatality rate of 100 percent landed on N. Korea

African swine flu with a fatality rate of 100 percent landed on N. Korea

Posted June. 01, 2019 10:09,   

Updated June. 01, 2019 10:09

한국어

The South Korean quarantine authorities have been alarmed by the news that Asian swine flu (ASF) arrived in North Korea, which is sweeping South East Asia and China. The Korean government has embarked on special quarantine activities on 10 special management regions that boarder with the North. However, wild boars are known to transmit the flu as they move around actively, which raises concerns of the spread of the flue.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs held an emergency quarantine review meeting presided over by Vice Minister Lee Jae-wook on Friday regarding the occurrence of ASF in North Korea. It announced countermeasures against ASF including the installation of control guard points and major sterilization facilities around the border area with North.

North Korea reported to OIE, the World Organization for Animal Health, on Thursday that ASF infected a farm in Usi County, Chagang Province, near Liaoning Province, China. It led to the death of 77 out of 99 pigs with the remaining 22 slaughtered, according to the reports. ASF has a fatality rate of 100 percent as any vaccine and treatment has not been developed yet. However, the virus is known to be non-contagious to humans.


Choong-Hyun Song balgun@donga.com