Disinfection operations to be launched following typhoon

Korea’s agricultural ministry said Sunday it will pay close attention to Typhoon Tapah expected to bring heavy rains and strong winds amid concern it could hinder efforts to prevent the spread of African swine fever (ASF).

“We urge local farms to make strict preparations so that quarantine authorities can launch disinfection operations as soon as the rain stops,” Agriculture Minister Kim Hyeon-soo said during an emergency meeting on ASF.

“After the typhoon moves out of the country, we need to implement quarantine operations from square one,” he added.

Korea has been rolling out nationwide disinfection operations to prevent the spread of the deadly animal disease.

On Tuesday, the Korean authorities confirmed the country’s first case of the highly contagious virus at a farm in Paju, located near the border with North Korea. The country reported the second confirmed case of the disease in the neighboring Yeoncheon the following day.

While two other suspected cases reported Friday turned out to be negative, the ministry has been under a red alert amid the growing possibility that the disease can strike other areas of the country.

Although the disease is not harmful to people, it is fatal and highly contagious for pigs, with no cure currently available.

Thousands of pigs culled

Korea carried out slaughters of thousands of pigs Saturday for a fifth straight day, an official said, to prevent the spread of ASF.

Quarantine officials are expected to cull about 3,190 pigs at a farm in Yeoncheon near the border with North Korea by Saturday, the agriculture official said.

The culling, if completed, would raise the total number of pigs slaughtered to 15,333 since Tuesday.