Foot-and-mouth disease has been confirmed at a pig farm and a nearby cattle farm in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang Province. In response, the government has raised the crisis alert level to 'serious' for Yecheon and six adjacent counties, including Andong, Uiseong, Sangju, Mungyeong, Yeongju, and Danyang in North Chungcheong Province, and has issued a 48-hour movement restriction order to prevent further spread.
According to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters on July 3, foot-and-mouth disease was detected following detailed inspections at Pig Farm No. 1 in Yecheon and Cattle Farm No. 5 located within 500 meters of the pig farm. The headquarters had previously conducted tracking and detailed inspections of 39 related farms after the detection of the virus at a slaughterhouse in the region on June 25.
On June 28, the virus was found at one pig farm in Yecheon. Although initial tests on 240 pigs returned negative results, foot-and-mouth disease antibodies (NSP) were identified in two pigs the following day, indicating a possible past infection.
Following this, the headquarters conducted additional detailed inspections at the pig farm and nine cattle farms within a 500-meter radius, which included 625 cattle. As of July 3, 14 pigs from Pig Farm No. 1 and 24 cattle from Cattle Farm No. 5 tested positive for the virus. However, clinical examinations revealed no animals showing symptoms of foot-and-mouth disease.
As a result, the crisis alert level for Yecheon and the six adjacent counties was elevated from 'concern' to 'serious.' Other regions have been raised to a 'caution' level. The areas under the serious alert include Yecheon, Andong, Uiseong, Sangju, Mungyeong, Yeongju, and Danyang.
Quarantine authorities will intensify clinical surveillance at 125 livestock farms within a 3-kilometer radius of the outbreak site. They will deploy 58 disinfection resources, including large-scale disinfecting vehicles and equipment, to thoroughly disinfect livestock farms and surrounding roads in Yecheon and neighboring counties.
The success of this quarantine effort hinges on the first two weeks. Rapidly halting movement around the affected farms and efficiently completing emergency vaccinations and surveillance are critical.
The headquarters emphasized, "The occurrence of foot-and-mouth disease at both pig and cattle farms necessitates urgent vaccination and concentrated disinfection measures. Close cooperation from farmers is essential. We urge strict adherence to biosecurity protocols, including thorough disinfection inside and outside the farms and changing boots when entering livestock facilities."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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