December 14, 2010

South Korea confirms additional FMD case in Uiseong

South Korea said on Monday (Dec 13) that it has confirmed an additional case of Foot and Mouth disease (FMD) in Uiseong, a southeastern part of the country, fueling fears that the contagious animal disease continues to spread despite stepped-up quarantine efforts.

The Ministry of Agriculture said cattle raised in a farm located in Uiseong, 334 kilometres southeast of Seoul, were found to be infected with the highly contagious disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals.

"The FMD case was found among cattle culled and buried as part of quarantine efforts before infection tests were not completed," a ministry official said. The ministry said it has ordered all cloven-hoofed livestock to be destroyed within a 500-metre radius of the farm.

So far, South Korea has reported 45 suspected FMD cases since a November 29 outbreak in Andong, about 270 kilometres southeast of Seoul. Of them, 32 have tested positive for the disease while four additional cases have been confirmed among cattle destroyed before test results came in, according to the ministry.