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First foot-and-mouth case in 9 months confirmed on Incheon cattle farm

Published: 31 Jan. 2026, 16:42

Disinfectants are sprayed in Ganghwa County, Incheon, on Jan. 31. [YONHAP]

The first case of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in nine months was confirmed at a cattle farm in Incheon on Saturday, authorities said.

The case was reported in the county of Ganghwa, prompting authorities to raise the relevant warning level from "attention" to "serious" in Incheon and the nearby city of Gimpo, according to the government's central headquarters for FMD response.

Quarantine and epidemiologic experts have been sent to the affected farm to help stop the spread of the disease, while 246 heads on the ranch will be culled in line with relevant procedures.

FMD is an acute infectious viral disease that causes illness in cows, pigs, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals. It does not affect humans.

The government said it has issued a 48-hour standstill order on workers and vehicles with access to farms and other livestock-related facilities in Incheon and Gyeonggi.

Nearly 40 pieces of disinfectant equipment will be used on farms and nearby roads in Incheon and Gimpo.

The FMD response team held a meeting later in the day to discuss the outbreak and appropriate quarantine measures.

The team has decided to conduct emergency vaccinations and clinical tests on 92,000 animals at 1,008 farms in Incheon and Gimpo through Feb. 8.

In the event that a case is confirmed, disease control experts will be sent to the affected farm to cull and bury the livestock and take other necessary measures.

The last time FMD was confirmed in the country was in April of last year.

Yonhap