More boars with African swine fever discovered

Korean quarantine authorities said Monday they have found more wild boars infected with the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus in areas near the border with North Korea, bringing the number of such cases to 115.

Nine additional wild boars found dead north of Seoul tested positive for the disease, according to the National Institute of Environmental Research.

Korea confirmed its first-ever outbreak of the animal disease in September last year. To prevent the spread of the virus, local authorities have culled nearly 400,000 domestic pigs as a preventive measure.

Although no additional ASF cases on farms have been reported since early October 2019, authorities continue to discover dead wild boars carrying the disease, mostly along the inter-Korean border.

The virus has been haunting pig farms across the country, especially because there are currently no vaccines or cures.

So far, all confirmed cases among both domestic and wild pigs have been reported in border areas. Pyongyang reported its first outbreak of ASF at a pig farm near its border with China in May 2019.

The disease spreads through direct contact with infected animals or their remains, unlike other animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, which is airborne.

Yonhap