020526 South Korea Tests for Possible Foot-And-Mouth

Seoul, South Korea - South Korean authorities are testing two more pigs suspected of suffering from foot-and-mouth disease near farms where two earlier outbreaks of the deadly livestock epidemic occurred.

"Test results have not come out yet, but we have begun slaughtering pigs in the farms as a precaution," said Lee Joo-ho, an official at the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry.

Lee could not immediately say how many pigs were being slaughtered in the two farms in Ansung and neighboring Jinchon, 100 kilometers (60 miles) south of Seoul, the capital.

In the initial outbreak early this month, authorities slaughtered nearly 12,000 pigs after the disease killed hundreds of pigs at two other nearby farms. Another 7,300 pigs were being slaughtered at two other farms in the area after authorities found four more cases Saturday.

Foot-and-mouth disease spreads rapidly among cloven-hoofed animals such as cows and pigs, but is not dangerous to humans. Infected animals first suffer blisters on their hooves and mouths, which spread to internal organs killing the livestock.

Lee said authorities believe the disease has been contained.

"There have been no cases outside the region where the first cases were found. We believe the disease will not spread further out," Lee said.

Soldiers and health officials are decontaminating farms, as well as vehicles entering and exiting the affected areas. Two-thirds of South Koreas 106 livestock markets have closed to prevent the spread of the disease.

The outbreak came ahead of the soccer World Cup to be co-hosted by South Korea and Japan on May 31-June 30.

The Japanese government has raised concerns about the possible spread of the disease when tourists visit the two countries during the tournament.

South Korea has called the concerns "groundless" as the contaminated area is far from World Cup venues. The nearest World Cup cities are Suwon, 40 kilometers (24 miles) to the north, and Daejeon, 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the south.

Following the South Korean outbreak, Japan banned the import of pigs and other livestock and now requires visitors who spent time near contaminated South Korean farms to disinfect their shoes at ports of entry.

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