Gov't culls pigs to isolate cholera outbreak

(ATTN: CORRECTION in para 1; UPDATES with more details in para 7)
SEOUL, April 23 (Yonhap) -- The government said Thursday it culled 600 pigs to
contain a highly contagious cholera outbreak in the southern part of the country.
The hog cholera outbreak was reported earlier in the month at a farm in Iksan,
230 km south of Seoul. The animals were destroyed and buried by authorities as of
Wednesday, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
It said while only 30 animals got sick, it disposed of all the pigs raised on the
farm as a precautionary measure.
The disease, also called swine fever and caused by the CSFV virus, causes skin
lesions and usually leads to death in young animals.
Because the disease is endemic to the country, all pigs are vaccinated, but some
do not receive the necessary shots due to oversight by farmers. The country
reports an average of two to seven cases of the disease every year.
The disease cannot be transmitted to humans, but it has prevented the country
from exporting pork.
"Animal health authorities are taking blood samples of 160 farms in the vicinity
where the outbreak occurred, with tests to be concluded next week," an official
said. He added that exact cause of the latest outbreak is being examined in
detail, which can help prevent future problems.
Under existing rule, Seoul pays current market prices for each pig culled to
prevent the spread of animal-borne diseases.
The ministry said it wants to become a "hog cholera-free country" by 2015 so it
can ship domestically produced pork overseas and improve livestock raising
standards that have been cited for causing the outbreaks.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
(END)