Seoul: South Korea's quarantine authorities have issued a nationwide alert, urging enhanced quarantine measures against African swine fever (ASF) following confirmation of the sixth ASF case of the year.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the latest case was identified at a pig farm in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, which houses 463 pigs. This prompted the Central Disaster Management Headquarters (CDMH) to issue the highest-level red alert across the nation to curb the disease's spread.
In response to the outbreak, the government has culled 1,423 pigs from the affected farm and nearby farms operated by the same owner. A 48-hour standstill order has been enforced for pig farms and related facilities nationwide. Officials are also implementing disinfectant measures in Dangjin and surrounding areas and conducting emergency inspections of pig farms near the affected site.
An agriculture ministry official noted that while previous cases were confined to the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, the emergence of the latest case in South Chungcheong Province, which has the country's largest swine farming capacity, poses a heightened risk of nationwide spread.
The ministry has pledged to mobilize all available resources to prevent further cases and contain the ASF outbreak.