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| ▲ A quarantine official blocks a road leading to a pig farm in Chuncheon, 85 kilometers northeast of Seoul, on Sept. 19, 2022, after another case of African swine fever was confirmed there. (Yonhap) |
S Korea-African swine fever
S. Korea beefs up containment measures against African swine fever
SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- South Korea will implement stronger containment measures against the African swine fever (ASF) on growing concerns about the spread of the disease at local farms, the agriculture ministry said Tuesday.
So far this year, the country has confirmed six ASF cases at pig farms, and it has been working hard to stem the spread amid the sharp rise in the number of wild boars, increased farming activities during spring and a higher number of people visiting the mountains.
The government plans to conduct about 200,000 inspections into pig farms in western and northern parts of the country on a regular basis, including the border counties of Cheorwon, Goseng and Yeoncheon, compared with 144,000 regular checks conducted last year, according to the ministry.
The government will set up a task force in charge of examining the implementation of quarantine steps by domestic farms.
It will also intensify operations to hunt down wild boars and search for affected animals.
More checkpoints for disinfection of vehicles will be set up near the inter-Korean border areas, and more fumigation trucks will be dispatched to roads with heavy traffic, the ministry added.
The disease does not affect humans but is deadly to pigs. There is currently no vaccine or cure for the disease.
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