Gov’t to maintain vigilance against FMD
Korea will continue to maintain its heightened quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), following the outbreak of a first case this year, the agriculture ministry said Monday.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has limited movement of cloven-hoofed animals since the outbreak of the FMD case at a hog farm in Gimpo, west of Seoul, last Tuesday. It culled over 900 pigs at the affected farm as a preventive measure.
The ministry said it will continue to limit the movement of livestock across the nation until April 9, considering the two week incubation period and the time needed to make antibodies become active after vaccinating animals.
Quarantine officials have been vaccinating animals and conducting inspections on livestock but haven’t detected additional FMD cases, the ministry said. It was the first time the highly infectious animal disease has been detected at a pig farm since the last case in South Chungcheong Province two years ago.
FMD is an acute infectious viral disease of livestock causing fever followed by the development of vesicles chiefly in the mouth and on the feet. It is one of the most infectious diseases for livestock and can spread rapidly if uncontrolled.