Sejong Institute of Health and Environment Designated as a Precision Diagnosis Institution for African Swine Fever

[Asia Economy (Sejong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] The Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory of the Sejong City Health and Environment Research Institute has been designated as a precision diagnosis institution for African Swine Fever (ASF).

According to the city’s Health and Environment Research Institute on the 6th, a precision diagnosis institution can conduct detailed testing independently and make a confirmed diagnosis without requesting precision testing from the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency when a suspected animal report is received.

Sejong is the first among special and metropolitan cities to be delegated this authority, and the seventh among local governments nationwide.

With the designation of the ASF precision diagnosis institution at the city’s Health and Environment Research Institute, the time required from reporting to diagnosis can be significantly shortened, enabling initial response when suspected ASF animals are found in the region, which is expected to be effective in blocking virus transmission.

The city’s Health and Environment Research Institute explained that since ASF cannot be prevented through vaccination, rapid disease diagnosis and accuracy are important factors in preventing its spread.

ASF first occurred in September 2019 at a pig farm in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, and has since sporadically occurred at pig farms in regions such as Incheon, Gyeonggi Province, and Gangwon Province.

In particular, in January, an ASF-positive wild boar carcass was confirmed in Boeun County, about 30 km from Sejong, showing a trend of nationwide spread.

Park Mi-sun, director of the city’s Health and Environment Research Institute, said, “With Sejong’s designation as an ASF precision diagnosis institution, rapid quarantine measures against disaster-type livestock infectious diseases, including avian influenza, have become possible. However, since biosecurity at farms and reporting of suspected animals are most important, we urge farms to report suspected cases promptly.”