Foot-and-mouth disease broke out on the 27th at a pig farm in Yecheon County, North Gyeongsang.
The Central Accident Control Headquarters for Foot-and-Mouth Disease said an antigen for foot-and-mouth disease was detected that day during a routine inspection (environmental test) at a slaughterhouse in the North Gyeongsang region. Earlier, on the 25th, the headquarters conducted trace and detailed tests on farms that shipped pigs to the slaughterhouse, and the results were confirmed that day.
There have been a total of four cases of foot-and-mouth disease in Korea this year. Previously, one case occurred in Ganghwa, Incheon, and two cases in Goyang, Gyeonggi.
The headquarters raised the crisis alert level in response to the outbreak. Yecheon County, where it occurred, along with nearby Andong, Uiseong County, Sangju, Mungyeong, Yeongju, and Danyang County in North Chungcheong, were placed under the "severe" level. Other areas were raised to the "caution" level.
The government is controlling access by outsiders, livestock, and vehicles at the affected farm and is conducting an epidemiological investigation to prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.
The headquarters said, "To prevent the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, related agencies and local governments should make every effort in quarantine measures such as movement controls, inspections and tests, and intensive disinfection," and added, "Please disinfect inside and outside the farm and follow basic quarantine rules, such as changing boots when entering barns."