S. Korea joins int'l foot-and-mouth disease control alliance

By Lee Joon-seung

SEOUL, Sept. 28 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has joined the Global Foot-and-Mouth
Disease Research Alliance (GFRA) to better cope with the spread of the highly
contagious disease, a government quarantine service said Monday.
The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service said the country has
became the 12th member of the U.S.-based organization created in 2003 to prevent
and counter foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks that can wreak havoc on
livestock.
The alliance made up of countries like the United States, Britain, Canada, France
and Denmark pool data and research efforts to come up with vaccines and DNA
screening processes that may help prevent the spread of the disease.
"Instead of each country conducting research individually, the GFRA tries to
combine international efforts to fight FMD," a official said. He added by joining
the alliance, South Korea can better defend itself against future outbreaks and
transmission of the disease from countries like China and Vietnam that are unable
to check the animal disease.
FMD affects cattle, pigs, deer, goats and sheep and causes blisters on the mouth
and feet of livestock that can lead to death. It is rarely transmitted to humans,
but countries that report an outbreak are banned from exporting meat.
South Korea reported outbreaks in 2000 and 2002 respectively that cost the
government 450 billion won (US$376 million) as large number of animals were
destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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