Seoul: South Korea reported an additional foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) case at local cattle farms, increasing this year's total to eight, the agriculture ministry announced on Monday. The latest case emerged at three beef cattle farms in Yeongam county, approximately 300 kilometers south of Seoul, with 12 cows confirmed infected, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs reported.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the new infections were detected near a local farm where the year's first FMD case was identified last week, marking the first occurrence in nearly two years. The ministry stated that the infected cattle would be culled and additional quarantine measures have been implemented.
In response to the initial outbreak, the government raised the crisis level for Yeongam and adjacent regions to "serious," the highest on its four-tier system. This prompted the commencement of a nationwide FMD vaccination program, originally slated for the following month.
FMD is an acute, infectious viral disease impacting cows, pigs, goats, and other cloven-hoofed animals. It is not a threat to human health.