Foot-and-Mouth Disease Reported in Pyongtaek

Foot-and-mouth disease was reported again in Pyongtaek, Gyeonggi province after slight calming down.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced on the 2nd that the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) had tested the pigs from Bodeul farm in Pyongtaek city, Gyeonggi province, which showed the symptom of the foot-and-mouth disease, and found one pig proved positive in the test, and started close examination.

This farm is 27km away from Yulgok farm in Samjuk-myon Ansung city, Gyeonggi province, where the foot-and-mouth disease first broke out, and 20km from Sambon farm in Bogae-myon Ansung city, where the disease was lastly reported on 19th May.

The disease control authority are alert, as this farm is away from existing place of outbreak including Ansung and Yongin, Gyeonggi province, and Jincheon, North Chungcheong province, and is far out of warning boundary (10 km) and control boundary (20 km).

Prevention authority slaughtered 30 pigs doubted of the disease.

And it plans to slaughter every pig, cow, and deer within 500 m radius after infection is confirmed on the 3rd, and will place sanitary cordon with the aid of local government and military authorities.

An official from NVRQS said, “we are striving for the prevention of the disease in vicinities, where the virus of the disease could have been carried to by people or automobiles.”

Joong-Hyun Park sanjuck@donga.com