Gov't going all-out to tackle spread of FMD
Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lee Gae-ho, right, announces the government's measures against the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak, Friday. Left is Interior Minister Kim Boo-kyum. / Yonhap
By Kang Seung-woo
Amid growing signs of the spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), the government vowed, Friday, to seek the strongest-ever preventive measures against the highly contagious virus.
“We have taken prompt countermeasures including immediate culling and issuing travel regulations as soon as we received reports on suspected FMD cases,” Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Minister Lee Gae-ho said in a press briefing at Seoul Government Complex, adding the ministry also distributed vaccines to vulnerable regions. Lee was accompanied by Interior Minister Kim Boo-kyum.
On Thursday, the government issued the second-highest alert in the country's animal disease control system, which stipulates a travel ban on people and vehicles involved in the livestock business where outbreaks have been confirmed.
It banned the travel of people and vehicles from all animal farms throughout the country from Thursday to Saturday, as well.
During the period, the government plans to carry out disinfection operations at animal farms. All cattle and pig farms will also be shut down for the next three weeks.
The government's determined statement came as the disease is showing signs of spreading nationwide. The first two cases were detected in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province earlier this week, but the latest case was found Thursday in Chungju, North Chungcheong Province.
“There are now FMD cases in different provinces. As the Lunar New Year holiday starts soon, the government decided to roll out more stringent measures to thoroughly prevent the spread of the disease,” Lee said.
The nation is scheduled to enter the five-day Lunar New Year holiday, during which the majority of Koreans travel across the country to catch up with their families, raising concerns that the virus may spread further.