Foot-and-mouth Disease Spreads Further

The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that initially occurred in Ganghwa County near Incheon has reached the mainland.

“The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service said a suspected case of food-and-mouth disease from a farm in the township of Wolgot in Gimpo, Gyeonggi Province, tested positive,” said the Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry yesterday, adding, “Accordingly, the Gimpo City Hall is taking preventive measures such as culling.”

This is the first case of the disease outside Ganghwa Island, whose first case was found April 8. Six of the eight suspected cases of foot-and-mouth disease were found to be positive, with the first discovered at a farm in Ganghwa County April 8.

“Culling has begun on 194 animals within a 500-meter radius, including 150 cows at the Wolgot farm,” the ministry said. “The serum type of foot-and-mouth disease in Gimpo turned out to be the ‘O’ type like the one in Ganghwa.”

As the virus reached the mainland despite the implementation of preventive measures, the government plans to block a further spread by building another preventive line on the outskirts of Gimpo in addition to the existing one.

The ninth suspected case of foot-and-mouth disease was reported in Boryeong, South Chungcheong Province. “A cattle farm in Boryeong reported a suspected foot-and-mouth disease case as blisters were found on the teats of eight cattle. The results of the tests will come out Wednesday morning,” the ministry said.

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease has also occurred in Japan for the first time since 2000. This has prompted the Korean government to suspend Japanese beef imports.

alwaysj@donga.com