Korean government asks for cooperation in stopping FMD
The South Korean government has called for national cooperation in preventing the further spread of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) February 2011’s Lunar New Year holiday when millions of people are expected to visit their hometowns, local media has reported.
The ministers of public administration and security and food, agriculture, forestry and fisheries urged Koreans to restrain from visiting livestock farms and areas prone to FMD, although the vaccination of cows and pigs across the country will be completed before the end of January 2011.
Maeng Hyung-kyu of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said: “Even though the animals are vaccinated, quarantine inspections are very important before antibodies are built up. So the holiday season will be a critical point in preventing the spread of the contagious disease, since a large movement of the population is expected.”
The ministers also asked farmers to extend disinfection programs for at least a month and sterilize vehicles, especially those carrying livestock feed. They said as FMD is highly contagious it is very important for people to cooperate in disinfection activities since a huge increase in travel is inevitable during the holiday period.
Over 2.7 million animals have been put down since the first outbreak of FMD was reported at the end of November 2010.
