S. Korea reports first ASF case in more than one month

By Kang Yoon-seung

SEOUL, Oct. 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea on Wednesday reported its first African swine fever (ASF) case in more than a month, sparking concerns about the spread of the fatal animal disease in the country.

The latest ASF case was reported from Inje, 165 kilometers east of Seoul, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The farm was raising 550 pigs, and there were no other pig farms within a 10-kilometer radius. The pigs were culled as a preventive measure.

It was also the fifth ASF case traced to farms reported in 2021.

ASF does not affect humans but is deadly to pigs. There is currently no vaccine or cure for the disease.

The fatal animal disease dealt a harsh blow to the local pig industry in 2019, when it infected 14 farms. More than 150,000 pigs were culled that year. Two more farms also reported ASF cases last year.

colin@yna.co.kr
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