Gov't urges S. Koreans abroad to stay away from farms, bird sanctuaries

SEOUL, Feb. 10 (Yonhap) -- The government on Wednesday urged South Koreans traveling abroad not to visit farms or bird sanctuaries in an effort to prevent further outbreaks of livestock diseases in the country.

The farm ministry said a recent outbreak of foot-and-mount (FMD) disease in
Beijing and bird flu cases in Vietnam and other parts of Southeast Asia has
raised the possibility of such diseases entering the country via returning
travelers or foreign visitors.
"People should refrain from visiting farms or coming into contact with animals
during overseas trips, and they must not bring back meat products," a press
release said.
It added that those abroad should stay away from local farms for at least for 72
hours.
The announcement comes as South Korea is trying to contain the FMD outbreak that
was first confirmed on Jan. 7. The outbreak, which is the first to hit the
country in eight years, has forced quarantine offices to cull and bury 5,960
cows, pigs, deers and goats this year.
In addition, officials said that reported cases of avian influenza in Southeast
Asia are raising concerns that the flu may hit South Korea again. The country has
been hit by bird flu three times, with the latest outbreak occurring in April of
2008 and resulting in a record 8.46 million birds being culled at the cost of
around 264 billion won (US$228 million).
The ministry, meanwhile, said that while the last reported FMD case occurred on
Jan. 29, it is too early for the country to lower its guard and asked farmers to
carry out regular decontaminations of animals and their farms.
They said a rise in temperatures and the start of the spring seed planting season
has raised the possibility of the animal disease spreading again.
yonngong@yna.co.kr