Chungnam Province Makes All-Out Efforts to Prevent and Control Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Joint Provincial and Municipal Inspection of Vaccine Supply and Administration
550,000 Cattle and Goats to Be Vaccinated by the 31st

Chungnam Provincial Government

As foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) continues to spread in areas such as Yeongam, Jeonnam, Chungnam Province announced on the 18th that it will make every effort to ensure rapid immunity formation for all cattle and goats in the province to block the spread of the disease.

According to the province, in response to the FMD outbreak in Jeonnam, emergency mass vaccinations are being carried out ahead of schedule, and from the 19th, the province will begin checking the situation in each city and county to maximize the effectiveness by completing vaccinations early.

The emergency mass vaccinations, which began on the 14th, target 550,000 cattle and goats raised by about 14,000 farms in the province. The goal is to complete the vaccinations by the 31st, and from the 19th, the province will spend a week checking and inspecting the vaccination status.

This inspection will be carried out by 14 joint inspection teams consisting of 28 officials from the province and local governments. The teams will comprehensively check the supply status of FMD vaccines in each city and county, the progress of mass vaccinations, and the disinfection and quarantine practices of livestock farms on site.

In addition, to evaluate whether the mass vaccinations have been properly conducted, the province will test the regional FMD vaccine antibody positive rates four weeks after vaccination. Farms that fall below the legal standard (80% or higher for cattle, 60% or higher for goats) will face fines and be required to administer additional vaccinations, with a follow-up inspection to be conducted one month later as part of special management measures.

Lee Jeongsam, Director of the Provincial Livestock and Agriculture Bureau, said, "As the situation is grave with FMD continuing to spread in Jeonnam, rapid vaccination is the top priority to prevent the disease from entering our province," and requested, "We ask for the active cooperation of all livestock farmers to ensure thorough vaccination."