A veterinarian vaccinates cows at a farm in the city of Yongin, Gyeonggi Province, on April 3, 2023, to prevent foot-and-mouth disease. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 11 (Korea Bizwire) — South Korea has confirmed foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) cases at local farms for the first time in more than four years, the agriculture ministry said Thursday.
The FMD cases were found at two beef cattle farms both located in the central city of Cheongju, some 112 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, which were raising some 360 cows combined, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
The country last reported FDM cases in January 2019.
All of the cattle at the farms will be culled to prevent the spread of the disease, which affects cloven-hoofed animals, including pigs and goats.
The ministry also issued a 48-hour standstill order on all animal farms and related facilities across the nation, and began intensive quarantine work in adjacent cities, according to the ministry.
Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered the ministry to work with other government agencies to take thorough preventive measures at an early stage to prevent the further spread of FMD.
“Thoroughly inspect whether vaccine inoculation is being carried out properly,” Han was quoted as saying in a press release. Since April, the government has rolled out FMD vaccines to all cattle and goats at farms across the nation.
FMD is an acute infectious viral disease of livestock that causes fever after the development of vesicles chiefly in the mouth and on the feet. It is one of the most infectious diseases for livestock.
(Yonhap)
