Foot-And-Mouth Disease Near Seoul Poses Threat To City, Country

The Korea Times reports two confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease about 20 kilometers north of Korea’s most densely-populated city could threaten the health of people in the city and the rest of the country.

The infectious disease was confirmed Monday in two cattle farms north of Seoul resulting in 200 cows culled and buried by the farm owners and quarantine authorities. Experts say the cold weather makes foot-and-mouth disease more active and could be only a matter of time for the disease to break into Seoul. Once the disease reaches Seoul it could quickly spread to other parts of the country as a large number of traffic travels through the city every day.

The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries say it’s unlikely the disease will reach the city as swift and extensive quarantine efforts have kept the disease from spreading.

``We immediately culled and buried all cattle on the infected farms in Goyang. Since there are only a few livestock farms in the area, we do not think FMD has spread to nearby areas. Additionally, owners and workers of the infected farms have not traveled to other areas in recent days,’’ a ministry official said.

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Source: www.KoreaTimes.co.kr

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