Asia-Pacific

S Korea confirms new outbreaks of foot-and-mouth

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-01-16 13:23
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SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea reported two additional outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease at farms in the country's north Saturday, bringing the total number of outbreaks in a week to four, an official said.

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Eight cows at two farms in Pocheon, just north of Seoul, tested positive for the disease, Agriculture Ministry official Lee Sang-soo said. All 124 cows on the farms were slaughtered as a precaution.

The two farms are a short distance from another farm where six cows were confirmed to have been infected with the disease on Jan. 7, South Korea's first outbreak since May 2002, Lee said.

South Korea has so far slaughtered some 3,100 animals since that outbreak to prevent the spread of the disease, said Lee.

Foot-and-mouth disease is often fatal for cloven-hoofed animals including cows, sheep, pigs and goats, causing blisters on the mouth and feet. It does not affect humans.

The disease last hit South Korea in 2002 when some 160,000 pigs either died of the disease or were slaughtered to prevent its spread.
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