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Expansion of Foot-and-Mouth Disease within the Area

Posted May. 13, 2002 10:25,   

Additional outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease is continuing at Anseong in Gyeonggi province and Jinchon in Chungbuk province where the disease was first reported. The disease is not spreading to other areas, but it is expanding within the limited area.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) announced that the pigs suspected of the foot-and-mouth disease were found more at Jinchon, Chungbuk and Yongin, Gyeonggi. These pigs responded positive to the simple test that close examination is being made with no possibility of reversing the result.

These two farms of Park Jang-Keun Farm in Oksan-ri Baekam-myon, Yongin City and the propagation center of Gene Bank Co. in Janggwan-ri Jinchon-eup, Jinchon-gun are located within a 10km radius of the original outbreak points.

Previously, foot-and-mouth disease reappeared at the first outbreak area Anseong and 4 farms in Yongin on the 10th in one week after the first outbreak.

The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) said, “the virus that transferred before the quarantine measures are appearing after incubation period of 2 to 8 days. But it doesn’t seem to have expanded to other areas. ”

MAF had a central conference for quarantine of livestock in the afternoon, and decided to maintain the current sanitary measure that it kills and buries the pigs within 3 km radius of the farm where foot-and-mouth disease occurred, as the place the disease is appearing is limited.

Along with the measure, it decided to sanitize twice a week the whole towns as well as the farms in 10 cities and guns within 50 km to 60 km distance from the outbreak point of the foot-and-mouth disease including Ichon, Kwangju, Yoju, and Pyongtaek in Gyeonggi Province, Jinchon, Chongwon, Koisan in Chungbuk, and Chonan in Chungnam.

55,000 livestock like pigs, cows, and goats, which were bred near the 8 farms where the disease was first reported, have been killed and buried so far.



Myung-Jai Lee mjlee@donga.com