Goyang City Uses ICT to Build an Impenetrable Defense Against Livestock Diseases...Zero Cases for Three Consecutive Years

Goyang City Reports Zero Cases of Avian Influenza, African Swine Fever, and Foot-and-Mouth Disease
GPS Tracking of Livestock Vehicles and Entry Warnings at Livestock Facilities... Leveraging ICT Technology
Operation of a Specialized Clinical Veterinarian System... 97.7% Foot-and-Mouth Disease Antibody Formation Rate
Mayor Lee Donghwan: "We Will Protect a Disease-Free Goyang by Advancing Cutting-Edge Technology and On-Site Quarantine"

Goyang Special City in Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Lee Donghwan) is drawing attention for maintaining its status as a disease-free area for three consecutive years against highly pathogenic livestock infectious diseases such as avian influenza (AI) and African swine fever (ASF) through the use of ICT (information and communications technology)-based "smart quarantine."

Goyang Special City Central Disinfection Facility. Provided by Goyang City.

According to Goyang City on February 12, the city has actively introduced advanced technology to manage "livestock transport vehicles," which are a major cause of the spread of livestock diseases. An analysis of past livestock disease transmission routes shows that about 79% of the causes for the spread of livestock diseases, including foot-and-mouth disease, were vehicles visiting livestock farms. This demonstrates how important it is to manage vehicles that visit livestock farms.

The city used GPS location tracking technology to record in real time the movement status of livestock vehicles and manage it as big data in a computerized system. Based on this, it can identify in real time the vehicles in motion and their routes. In addition, while traditional epidemiological investigations that relied on paperwork and interviews took more than 20 hours during the process of tracing disease transmission routes, big data management has drastically reduced response time and proven effective in preventing early spread.

The city also uses CCTV installed around farms to identify the movement of vehicles entering and exiting and on-site conditions, and it has proactively employed information and communications technology, such as activating warning alarms when entering livestock facilities, to block risk factors in advance. It is also expanding the scope of CCTV utilization to high-risk areas for avian influenza outbreaks, such as Janghang Wetland, by monitoring livestock vehicles traveling on nearby roads.

Goyang Special City hub disinfection facility. Provided by Goyang Special City

To enhance professional expertise in quarantine, Goyang City is operating a "specialized clinical veterinarian system" by appointing six private clinical veterinarians. As they directly carry out vaccinations and blood sampling for livestock such as cattle, pigs, and goats, the foot-and-mouth disease antibody formation rate in Goyang City has reached 97.7%, the highest level in the country, demonstrating a strong immune system.

In addition, the city operates the "No. 1 Hub Disinfection Facility" within its Agricultural Technology Center and has made it mandatory to disinfect all livestock vehicles entering and leaving the city and to issue certificates, thereby blocking the external inflow of viruses at the source.

When African swine fever or other diseases occur in nearby areas, the city swiftly installs quarantine control checkpoints and takes preemptive measures to block their inflow into Goyang City.

Disinfection at a livestock farm. Provided by Goyang City

Goyang City has designated the period until the end of February as a "special quarantine countermeasure period" and is operating a triple blockade system to prevent disease from entering farms (isolation of detected areas, hub disinfection, and control of farm access).

In particular, in migratory bird habitats such as Changneungcheon Stream and Janghang Wetland, where the risk of AI outbreaks is high, the city has deployed seven large-scale disinfection vehicles to carry out intensive daily disinfection.

The city is also strengthening the management of zoonotic diseases to ensure not only the safety of livestock farms but also the safety of citizens. It supports rabies vaccinations for more than 6,000 companion dogs every year and focuses on eliminating quarantine blind spots by distributing bait vaccines for wild animals.

The city is concentrating its efforts on managing zoonotic diseases that are directly linked to citizen safety.

River disinfection carried out. Provided by Goyang City

In particular, as the incidence of brucellosis in companion dogs has recently been increasing, the city is strengthening movement restrictions and epidemiological management for infected companion dogs. It carries out rabies vaccination projects every year for more than 6,000 urban and rural companion dogs and distributes bait vaccines for wild animals mainly in mountainous and river areas to eliminate quarantine blind spots.

Goyang Special City Mayor Lee Donghwan said, "There is still no effective vaccine for African swine fever, and its fatality rate is 100%, so prediction and quarantine in advance are more important than anything else. Goyang City is geographically adjacent to migratory bird habitats, which can make it vulnerable in terms of quarantine," adding, "We will further advance cutting-edge technology and on-site quarantine to block livestock infectious diseases and maintain a safe city where citizens can feel at ease."