8 Cows With Brucellosis Slaughtered
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Eight cows from a farm in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, were diagnosed with Bovine Brucellosis and the government abruptly slaughtered them. With the fear of avian influenza rapidly spreading, this new development will add to people's concerns.
Bovine Brucellosis is infectious to animals and humans. It causes infertility and miscarriage in cows and coughing, high fever and rheumatism in humans.
The local government said six three-year-old cows and two seven-months-old calves were diagnosed with the disease Thursday and were slaughtered in the afternoon. The farm owner reportedly agreed to kill 9 other cows of his, which at the moment are all diagnosed as not having the disease.
The farmer, Park, said one of the cows was not fertile enough and turned out to be infected.
The government said it will observe nearby cattle and asked people to buy beef with certificates showing it to be safe from the disease, which is not rare.
There were 65 cases of cows being destroyed in Gyeonggi Province due to the disease this year. A government spokesman said cooking beef at over 100 degrees Celsius heat would make it safe to eat.