S. Korea confirms 2nd outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease

(ATTN: UPDATES with more details from para 2-8, 11-13)
SEOUL, Jan. 14 (Yonhap) -- The government on Thursday said it has confirmed a
second foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreak at a meat cattle farm in Pocheon, 45
kilometers north of Seoul.
The animals at the farm began showing symptoms of FMD early Wednesday, causing
local quarantine officials to order the culling and burial of 15 "hanwoo" cows,
the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. Hanwoo refers to
a breed of meat cattle indigenous to Korea.
It said of the animals culled, two have tested positive for FMD.
The farm in question is 3.5 kilometers away from where the first outbreak of FMD
was reported last week.
The ministry added that it has started culling livestock within a 500 meter
radius of the cattle farm to prevent further outbreaks of the highly contagious
disease.
A total of six livestock farms, including the one that reported the second
outbreak, are inside the quarantine zone, raising some 148 head of cattle. Two
deers and a pig farm with 1,200 animals are also within the effected area.
Quarantine officials, in addition, said they will cull 442 head of cattle at six
other nearby farms as a precautionary measure.
Experts said such steps are needed because the FMD virus, which does not affect
humans, may have been transmitted by a veterinarian who checked cattle at farms
in the Pocheon area.
The latest move will bring the total number of cattle culled to 2,377 in 18 farms.
The FMD outbreak reported last week was the first to hit the country in eight
years. The highly contagious animal disease affects all cloven-hoofed animals
such as cattle, pigs and goats, causing blisters on the feet and mouth of
livestock and sometimes leading to death. Experts said that while the disease has
only affected cows so far, it can easily spread to pigs.
The country was hit by an FMD outbreak in 2000 and 2002 with 15 and 16 cases
reported in each year.
The government, meanwhile, said it is keeping close tabs on around 600 farms
across the country that could have been infected with the FDM virus. It said if
there are signs of infected animals, quarantine officials will order culling and
burials to stem the spread of the disease, with all people and cars entering
quarantine zones to be subject to a decontamination process.
To counter the spread of the disease Seoul is looking into a measure that will
ban farmers who do not take preventative measures from raising livestock for a
set period of time.
At present farmers who fail to report outbreaks promptly are barred from
receiving full compensation for animals culled, while a veterinarian that does
not report a suspected case can face criminal charges.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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