Foot-and-mouth feared in Korea

A wave of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) could hit Korea this fall, a state veterinary agency warned yesterday (June 24), because a new form of the virus is running rampant in northeast Asia, including China, Japan and Mongolia.

 

The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service released the results of an epidemiology study of recent outbreaks of the disease and said there is a possibility that a new type of virus, such as O, A, or Asia 1, could enter Korea.

 

The agency suggested livestock farmers and veterinary institutions continue preventative disinfection and refrain from visiting countries suffering the ongoing epidemic.

 

''The virus can survive for only 11 days when the temperature is high, at around 20 degrees Celsius, but it can live as long as 18 weeks when the temperature stays around 4 degrees Celsius,'' said Lee Sang-Jin, a director of the epidemiology research department at the veterinary agency.

 

''If the virus spreads in Korea now, it could only live for a short period of time, but in the fall, when the temperature is low, there could be another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease,'' Lee added.

 

On June 19 this year, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries lifted its most recent ban on the movement of people in Cheongyang County, South Chungcheong.