Ganghwa County Tightens Grip on Foot-and-Mouth Disease and AI Prevention

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Seo Dong-young] Ganghwa County announced on the 12th that it is implementing reinforced quarantine measures as foot-and-mouth disease and highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) cases emerge.

Ganghwa County is a major migratory bird route and thus faces a very high risk of highly pathogenic AI outbreaks.

Fortunately, highly pathogenic AI has not occurred to date, and foot-and-mouth disease has also not occurred since 2015.

However, as AI antigens have been detected in wild bird feces in Suwon, Uiwang, and Hwaseong, and AI is being discovered in wild birds nationwide, the county has launched special quarantine measures against foot-and-mouth disease and AI.

Since the 9th, quarantine disinfection facilities have been installed and operated at Ganghwa Bridge and Choji Bridge. All livestock-related vehicles visiting livestock farms must be disinfected at quarantine facilities and obtain disinfection certificates before entering farms.

To encourage voluntary farm disinfection at the farm level, 11 tons of disinfectant and 97 tons of quick lime have been distributed. The county operates joint quarantine teams with the Incheon Ganghwa Ongjin Livestock Cooperative to expand disinfection support for small-scale farms. Additionally, the county plans to deploy two large-scale disinfection sprayers simultaneously in one area to maximize quarantine effectiveness.

Kim Myeong-yeop, head of the Livestock Division at Ganghwa County, said "We ask not only livestock farmers but also civilians to actively cooperate through thorough quarantine measures including disinfection of farm interior and exterior areas and entry vehicles, and prohibition of entry to migratory bird landing sites to prevent disease inflow into the county," and urged "If you discover birds or livestock suspected of infection, please promptly report to livestock quarantine authorities (Ganghwa County Livestock Division 032-930-4535)."