S. Korea reports 15th African swine fever case this season
South Korea on Saturday confirmed the 15th case of African swine fever (ASF) this season, prompting quarantine authorities to step up efforts to prevent further infections during the five-day Lunar New Year holiday, Yonhap reports.
The new case was reported at a pig farm in the county of Changnyeong in South Gyeongsang Province, some 263 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the central disaster management headquarters for ASF.
Authorities dispatched quarantine officials to the affected farm to conduct an epidemiological investigation and restricted access to the site. All pigs at the farm will be culled to prevent further spread.
They urged owners and employees of pig farms and butcheries to fully comply with quarantine and standstill guidelines to curb the spread of the animal disease.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered relevant government ministries to make all-out efforts to prevent additional infections during the Lunar New Year holiday, which began Saturday.
With ASF outbreaks occurring nationwide, and a significant increase in human and vehicle movement expected during the holiday period, we must take the disease prevention situation seriously and spare no effort to prevent further outbreaks, he said.
