Quarantine work is being conducted after the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Yeongam County, South Jeolla Province, March 16, 2025. -Yonhap
SEOUL: (Bernama-Yonhap) The first case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in nine months was confirmed at a cattle farm in Incheon on Saturday (Jan 31), Yonhap News Agency reported, citing authorities.
The case was reported in the county of Ganghwa, prompting authorities to raise the relevant warning level from "attention" to "serious" in Incheon and the nearby city of Gimpo, according to the government's central headquarters for FMD response.
Quarantine and epidemiologic experts have been sent to the affected farm to help stop the spread of the disease, while 246 cows on the ranch will be culled in line with relevant procedures.
FMD is an acute infectious viral disease that causes illness in cows, pigs, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals. It does not affect humans.
The government said it has issued a 48-hour standstill order on workers and vehicles with access to farms and other livestock-related facilities in Incheon and Gyeonggi Province.
Nearly 40 pieces of disinfectant equipment will be used to disinfect farms and nearby roads in Incheon and Gimpo.
The FMD response team held a meeting later in the day to discuss the outbreak and appropriate quarantine measures.
The team decided to conduct emergency vaccinations and clinical tests on 92,000 animals at 1,008 farms in Incheon and Gimpo through Feb 8.
In the event a case is confirmed, disease control experts will be sent to the affected farm to cull and bury the livestock and take other necessary measures.
The last time FMD was confirmed in the country was in April last year. - Bernama-Yonhap
