S Korea-ASF prevention

S. Korea to raise guard against ASF as cases from wild boars pile up

By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, July 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's agricultural ministry said Thursday it plans to expand its monitoring of local farms amid growing concerns over the spread of African swine fever (ASF) among wild boars.

The move comes as ASF cases from wild boars sharply increased over recent weeks, with piglets born over the spring season expanding their activities to a wider area, according to the ministry.

Nearly 50 ASF cases from wild boars were reported this month through Sunday, rising sharply from just 20 tallied in June.

South Korea reported its first farm-linked ASF case in seven months back in May, although no additional infections were reported since.

"Considering that wild boars usually live as a group, it is possible that more boars are infected with the disease," the ministry said in a statement.

ASF does not affect humans but is deadly to pigs. There is currently no vaccine or cure for the disease.

South Korea said it plans to install more fences and cameras to detect wild boars, and promptly collect infected remains.

Authorities have been disinfecting the entrances and surrounding areas of pig farms five times a week, it added.

The ministry also plans to utilize drones to keep track of wild boars around farms and deploy more than 50 hunters to prevent them from coming into contact with domestic pigs.

The country advised farmers to refrain from bringing agricultural equipment into barns as they may harbor contaminants.

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