N.K. propaganda outlet reports on new DNA diagnosis method for African swine fever

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has developed a DNA-based African swine fever (ASF) diagnosis method, a state propaganda outlet said on Tuesday, raising speculation that the country is still struggling to curb the spread of the deadly animal disease since its first outbreak in May.

"We have developed a method to diagnose African swine fever, a growing global headache, based on a DNA analysis," Meari, one of North Korea's propaganda outlets, said in a rare mention of the disease.

In late May, North Korea reported its first outbreak of the animal disease at a farm near its border with China. Pyongyang has rarely mentioned the disease ever since, much less additional confirmed cases.

In September, South Korea's spy agency raised the possibility of ASF spreading to a large swath of the North Korean region, adding that all pigs in the country's northwestern area appear to have been killed due to the highly contagious disease.

The report on the development of a new diagnosis method appears to suggest that the North might be continuing to fight the spread of the disease.

South Korea has also reported 14 cases of ASF infection at local pig farms since September when the country confirmed its first case of the disease at a farm near the border with North Korea.

No additional confirmed ASF cases, however, have been reported for more than a month.

It is not clear whether the disease was transmitted to the South via the inter-Korean border, though dozens of wild boars have been found dead with traces of the disease mostly near the border.

The North has not responded to South Korea's repeated demand for cross-border cooperation in stemming the spread of the disease.

kokobj@yna.co.kr
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