After the First Occurrence of Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Jeonnam Province, Spread Accelerates... Emergency Quarantine Measures at Hanwoo Farms

Three Additional Cases Detected Within 1 to 3 km of the Initial Outbreak Farm

As foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) was additionally detected at three Hanwoo farms in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, quarantine authorities have launched emergency vaccination and strengthened quarantine measures. This is the first occurrence of FMD in Jeollanam-do.

According to Jeollanam-do on the 15th, additional confirmed cases were reported at three farms located within 1 to 3 km of the first farm where FMD was detected in Yeongam. As a result, the total number of farms affected by FMD has increased to four.

On the morning of the 14th, a quarantine official sprayed disinfectant in front of a Korean beef farm in Yeongam-gun, Jeollanam-do, where foot-and-mouth disease occurred. Photo by Yonhap News.

Jeollanam-do culled all Hanwoo cattle at the initially infected farm. At the newly affected farms, only 27 infected Hanwoo cattle will be selectively culled.

The province plans to focus on vaccination to prevent further spread. This measure is based on the case in 2023 in Chungbuk, where stability was achieved 7 to 10 days after vaccination following an FMD outbreak.

FMD vaccination began across all areas of Jeollanam-do on the 14th. Seven cities and counties including Yeongam and neighboring areas such as Mokpo, Naju, Hwasun, Jangheung, Gangjin, Haenam, and Muan received an emergency supply of 470,000 vaccine doses from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs due to shortages. Vaccination within the 3 km quarantine zone around Yeongam-gun is expected to be completed by the end of the day.

Emergency Measures Meeting to Prevent the Spread of Foot-and-Mouth Disease. Provided by Jeonnam Province

Governor Kim Young-rok of Jeollanam-do held an emergency video conference with city and county officials to review quarantine measures, stating, "Cloven-hoofed animals are large-bodied and require much more thorough response," and instructed, "Familiarize yourselves well with the response manual and manage the situation with an extraordinary sense of urgency."

Governor Kim added, "We must clearly organize and inform farms about quarantine and disinfection principles, including controlling livestock vehicles carrying manure and feed at the farm level, verifying passage through key disinfection facilities, restricting external visitors, thorough disinfection, and banning gatherings among livestock farmers, to ensure strict compliance."

He also said, "Conduct epidemiological investigations promptly, manage data on contacts and vehicles specifically and thoroughly, and ensure that post-culling measures are carried out without any gaps."

Governor Kim visited the Yeongam-gun Disaster Countermeasures Headquarters to inspect the progress of quarantine measures.

Foot-and-mouth disease is a highly contagious livestock disease caused by a virus infecting cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, and sheep, and is designated as a Class 1 livestock infectious disease in South Korea.