Hoof-and-mouth found at more farms

Social Affairs

Published: 18 Jan. 2010, 00:58

Hoof-and-mouth found at more farms

Two more outbreaks of hoof-and-mouth disease were reported at cattle farms in Pocheon, Gyeonggi, raising the nation’s confirmed outbreaks of the disease to four.

Two cattle farms reported animals showing symptoms of the disease to government quarantine officials on Friday. The cattle tested positive the next day, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said on Saturday. One farm had six infected dairy cows out of 70. Two of 54 dairy cows at another farm tested positive. Quarantine officials culled and buried 124 cattle to prevent further spread of the disease.

The two farms are located in Pocheon and are just 600 meters (1,970 feet) and 950 meters away from Hanareum Farm, where the first hoof-and-mouth disease outbreak was reported on Jan. 7. A three-kilometer (1.86-mile) area around the site of the initial outbreak has been declared a danger zone by quarantine officials.

Officials suggest that the latest outbreak is closely related to the one at Hanareum, as one farm received cattle from there and the other’s fodder truck had stopped by. Quarantine officials decided not to expand the danger zone for the time being because the two new outbreaks are linked to the first one and within the previously marked risk area. All suspected and confirmed cases of hoof-and-mouth disease have been reported in the Pocheon area so far.

But as a preventative measure, they will cull cattle raised in a farm located within 500 meters of the two farms.

Hoof-and-mouth disease has resulted in the culling of a total of 3,271 livestock including 113 hanwoo cows, 1,760 dairy cows, 1,335 pigs, 46 goats and 17 deer.

“The number of farms infected with hoof-and-mouth is growing, but as they haven’t occurred beyond the government-designated quarantine zones, it’s not that serious at this point,” said an Agriculture Ministry official. “[Quarantine officials] will keep close tabs on farms, and will sanitize farms as a pre-emptive move.”

By Kim Mi-ju [mijukim@joongang.co.kr]

Related Korean Article

확산·소멸 기로에 선 구제역

지난 주말 구제역 의심 증상을 보였던 포천 농가 두 곳의 소들이 모두 구제역 확진 판정을 받았다. 세 번째와 네 번째로 발견된 의심 증상이 모두 확진으로 판명된 것이다. 방역 당국은 해당 농가와 반경 500m 내의 모든 가축을 폐사(살처분)시켰다. 17일까지 구제역 발생 농가는 네 곳, 살처분된 가축은 모두 3271마리로 늘었다.

방역 당국과 축산 농가들은 잠복기를 감안하면 앞으로도 구제역 감염 사례가 몇 차례 더 나올 것으로 보고 있다.

그래도 아직은 구제역이 확산 단계로 접어들지는 않았다고 판단한다. 발생지가 포천 지역을 넘어서지는 않았기 때문이다. 하지만 이번 주가 고비라는 데는 큰 이견이 없다. 그동안 방역 당국이 3대 저지선을 지켜낼 수 있느냐가 관건이다.

방역 당국은 구제역 발생 직후 방역 매뉴얼(긴급방역행동지침)에 따라 네 겹의 차단막을 쳤다. 먼저 발생 지점에서 반경 500m 내에 있는 가축은 모두 폐사시켰다. 반경 3㎞까지는 위험지역, 10㎞까지는 경계지역, 20㎞까지는 관리지역으로 지정해 통제 중이다.

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