(2nd LD) Outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease reported in S. Korea

(ATTN: CORRECTS number of infected cattle in 2nd para; ADDS more info in 5-6 paras)
SEOUL, Jan. 7 (Yonhap) -- South Korea has confirmed an outbreak of foot-and-mouth
disease at a dairy farm north of Seoul, the first such outbreak in eight years,
officials said Thursday.

Six out of some 185 milk cows at the farm in Pocheon, 46 kilometers north of
Seoul in Gyeonggi Province, have tested positive for the disease, the Ministry
for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
Foot-and-mouth disease is highly contagious, affecting cattle, pigs, deer, goats
and sheep. The disease causes blisters on the mouth and feet of livestock and
leads to death. It is rarely transmitted to humans.
"We beefed up quarantine measures, and more measures are being taken to prevent
the disease from spreading," said an official at the ministry.
The official said quarantine inspections and sterilization measures are being
taken across the country.
The government will take measures to cull a total of over 2,000 head of
livestock, including 1,500 pigs and dozens of deer within a 500-meter radius of
the cattle farm starting the same day, according to the ministry.
South Korea was hit by the disease in 2000 and 2002. In 2000, losses reached 300
billion won (US$319 million), while the 2002 outbreak cost 150 billion won.
South Korea has been currently classified as a "clean" area, with no cases
reported since February 2002. But the latest cases of the disease are feared to
lead to the country's trading partners turning away pork and beef imports from
South Korea.
The latest outbreak will cause South Korea to be unable to export beef and pork,
as the country will lose its clean-area status granted by the Paris-based World
Organization for Animal Health.
sam@yna.co.kr
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