Gov't designates swine flu as infectious disease, tightens quarantine

SEOUL, April 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea designated swine flu as an infectious livestock disease on Monday, allowing authorities to cull sick animals in the wake of reported human infections in Mexico and the United States, government officials said.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the move provides
a legal basis to limit movement and destroy, bury and compensate farmers if a
case is discovered in the country.
"There is little likelihood of swine flu breaking out here, but the government
must take all possible steps to handle any contingencies," said Chang Ki-yoon,
the ministry's chief veterinary officer.
Chang also said authorities and the Korea Swine Association are cooperatively
setting up new standard operating procedures to check for possible infections of
the H1N1 virus, and devising actions to be taken if a sick animal is discovered.
Unlike bird flu, where there is a sudden spike in deaths, sick pigs suffer from
high temperatures and loss of appetite, but rarely die.
The latest announcement follows measures by local health authorities over the
weekend to step up monitoring of people arriving from North America after swine
flu outbreaks were cited for killing over 80 people in Mexico. Numerous cases
were also confirmed in the U.S., Canada, and Spain, with other European countries
checking possible human infections.
The government will also take measures to check for the virus in all imported
pork and live pigs. Pigs are imported for breeding purposes, with 1,562 animals
being imported from the U.S. and Canada in 2008. In the first three months of the
year, 69 animals came from Canada.
"At present, the influenza virus checkup has been in place for animals brought in
from North America, but this will be extended to the rest of the world," he said.
Chang, however, said Seoul does not plan to ban the import of pork or live pigs
at present.
"Experts concur that the virus is not found in meat, and current measures to keep
live animals in quarantine to check for infections are sufficient to prevent any
sick animals from entering the country," he said.
At present, local retailers including E-Mart and Lottemart said there has been no
drop in sales in the past few days, despite reports of the flu outbreak.
E-Mart, the country's largest discount sales outlet, said sales grew 9.8 percent
and 7.4 percent, respectively, on Saturday and Sunday compared to the week
before, with sales at Lottemart moving up roughly 7 percent for the same period.
Homplus alone reported a 5.4 percent drop in sales compared to the week before,
although this may be due to discounts offered on meat the week before.
Officials said over the weekend that people who suffer from coughs, fever,
cramps, diarrhea and chronic fatigue should see doctors, particularly if they
have been to the U.S. or Mexico.
Reflecting public concern about swine flu, large South Korean companies are
boosting efforts to block swine flu from hitting their employees, instructing
them to take preventive measures against the disease.
Samsung Electronics Co. and LG Electronics Co., both of which have a presence in
Mexico, ordered their employees to refrain from making business trips to the
North American country for the time being.
A executive for Samsung said, "No one has been hit by the flu or shown symptoms
among the 4,000 people who work at the company's local subsidiaries."
The company has instructed its employees there to avoid crowds to lower their
chances of contracting the flu and get thorough training on prevention, he said.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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