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2010-04-10 10:54:19 - Biological Hazard - South Korea EDIS CODE: BH-20100410-25635-KOR
Date & Time: 2010-04-10 10:54:19 [UTC]
Area: South Korea, Incheon Municipality, Ganghwa Island, Not confirmed information! Description: The government on Saturday reported one more foot-and-mouth disease outbreak at a cattle farm on Ganghwa Island, 58 kilometers west of Seoul, while two other cases were confirmed earlier in the day. The cattle farm is located 0.7 kilometers from the site of the first outbreak of the month that was confirmed Friday, the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said. The "hanwoo" farm raised 44 head of cattle, with blisters on the teats being detected late Saturday afternoon. All four confirmed cases found this month follow South Korea's March 23 announcement that it was officially "clear" of the highly contagious animal disease that affects all cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, hogs, deer and goats. The country confirmed a total of six cases in January that caused authorities to cull 5,956 animals at the estimated cost of 42.5 billion won (US$38.0 million). The ministry said it has destroyed or is in the process of culling all cloven-hoofed animals at the contaminated farms and in the immediate vicinity to prevent the disease from spreading to other animals. It said the 1,803 animals at the four Ganghwa farms and about 12,000 hogs and 4,000 cattle on 140 farms within a 3km radius of the four sites are to be destroyed to prevent further spreading of the highly contagious disease. This is a heightened level of response compared to the standard culling of animals within 500 meters of outbreak sites. Roadblocks have also been set up to control the movement of livestock on the island and to decontaminate vehicles that can spread the disease. One other suspected foot-and-mouth disease case was detected on a cattle farm raising 220 animals, with test results expected early Sunday. The ministry, in addition, closed down all 82 livestock markets in the country, with the exception of those on Jeju Island off the country's southern coast, with various gatherings and fairs involving farmers and animals to be canceled. Lee Sang-soo, an official at the ministry's animal health division, said the latest outbreak must be viewed separately from the six cases confirmed in January since the time gap is too wide to show a physical connection. All previous outbreaks took place in the Pocheon and Yeoncheon regions, north of Seoul. The official added laboratory tests showed that the latest outbreak was caused by the "O type" virus strain of the disease that hit the country in 2000 and 2002, compared to the "A type" that was reported in the country earlier in the year. The "O type" tends to spread more quickly among hogs.
The name of Hazard: Foot-and-mouth disease
Species: Animal
Status: Confirmed
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