Foot-and-mouth spreads to cattle

By Kim Se-jeong

The government said Tuesday that foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) has spread to a cattle farm in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, the first confirmed case of the virus in cattle in three years.

The farm is located less than 30 kilometers north of Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, where the first FMD case of this winter was confirmed at a pig farm last month.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, the virus was detected by a veterinarian who visited the farm on Monday, and the sample test result confirmed the infection on Tuesday.

The ministry has prioritized public health, but said the possibility of a nationwide spread is very narrow.

“Although a cow tested positive, we have found it had already developed 97 percent of an antibody,” one ministry official said. “And 47 other cattle in the farm tested negative for the virus.” He added that a massive-scale culling won’t take place.

Local authorities on Tuesday disinfected the Anseong farm and ordered a halt on animal transfer within the region. The ministry also temporarily stopped animal transportation across the country and will disinfect all pig and cattle farms.

The virus found in the cow’s body was type-o, which is be used for a vaccine that the ministry is now distributing to cattle farms around the country. Vaccination became mandatory after an outbreak on a pig farm was reported in December.

FMD is a highly contagious disease and common in domestic animals, such as pigs, cattle, sheep and goats. Vaccines are available, but it’s not considered to be an ultimate solution. Research on vaccine development is ongoing internationally.

Anseong is the nation’s cattle heartland, and has suffered greatly from FMD between November 2010 and February 2011.

In 2010, authorities culled 1.65 million pigs and 67,000 cattle nationwide. In Anseong alone, 206,000 pigs were culled, along with 1,600 cattle.

Tuesday’s confirmation raised calls for a thorough disinfection for farms in the rest of Gyeonggi Province, which is en route to the capital. Last week, the Seoul metropolitan area found Bird Flu virus in a chicken sold at a traditional market in Seongnam , southwest of Seoul.

Farmers in Anseong meanwhile have voiced their concerns.

“I have done a lot when it comes to disinfection. I am afraid that it would hit my farm, but more so because I don’t know what else I can do,” said one farmer.

Another took issue with vaccine packaging. “One bottle of vaccine can serve 10 or 25 cattle. If I don’t use it at once, the bottle has to be discarded no matter how much is left.” This is waste of money.”