S. Korea to expand int'l cooperation to counter FMD disease

SEOUL, Feb. 17 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to expand international cooperation
to cope quickly with possible outbreaks of foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease down the
road, the state quarantine service said Wednesday.
The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) said it will step
up information exchanges with neighboring countries on the disease to make it
easier to determine what type of virus has entered the country and improve the
precision of local disease testing procedures.
FMD is a "List A" contagious disease, according to the Paris-based World
Organization for Animal Health, and affects cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle,
hogs, goats and deers, causing blisters on the feet and mouths of livestock and
sometimes leading to death.
It can be spread via air, feed and imported farm products that have not been
sterilized. Humans, though not affected by the disease, can be carriers.
"Cooperation with Vietnam that began in 2009 helped local quarantine officials
isolate the type of virus that caused this year's FMD outbreak," said Chung
Gap-soo, head of the animal sanitation research division at the agency.
"When the first suspected case was reported early last month, it took just eight
hours to verify the sub-type of the disease," the official said.
Buoyed by success with Vietnam, Seoul will seek similar cooperative tie-ups with
neighboring countries that have reported outbreaks of the highly contagious
animal disease, Chung said.
The NVRQS had been engaged in detailed analysis of FMD outbreaks in Vietnam,
which has reported three types of the disease that have broken out in Asia. There
are seven sub-types of the FMD worldwide, with Vietnam reporting "O," "A" and
"Asia1" so far.
South Korea's recent outbreak has been tested as the "A" type, which had not been
discovered in the country in the past. The country was hit by the disease twice
in 2000 and 2002.
The agency also said that with no new outbreaks reported since Jan. 30, the
country may consider announcing the end of the FMD outbreak, which led to around
6,000 animals being culled.
Under current operating procedures, the country can declare an end to the
outbreak three weeks after the last contaminated animal has been buried.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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