South Korea confirmed three more cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) on Saturday, raising the number of affected farms to 20. All cases are within a southeastern city where the outbreak was
first reported earlier in the week.
The Ministry of Agriculture announced that one pig farm and two cow farms in Andong, located some 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul in North
Gyeongsang Province, have been affected by the animal disease.
Of 33 suspected foot-and-mouth cases reported nationwide, 23 came from Andong, the ministry said.
"Of the 23 cases from Andong, 20 of them have tested positive for foot-and-mouth disease," an official with the ministry said.
Test results on nine other suspected cases are due later Saturday, according to the ministry.
"We could have more reports of suspected cases of the disease after this weekend," the official said.
South Korea remained free of FMD since 2002 until an outbreak in January, and again in April. The country was declared clear of the animal disease, which affects animals with cloven hooves such as sheep, goats and deer, in late September by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).
The ministry has ratcheted up its preventive measures in areas close to Andong. It destroyed about 20,191 pigs at a farm in Boryeong, South
Chungcheong Province, west of Andong.
The ministry said a veterinarian who'd visited an Andong pig farm last week didn't change his shoes before going to the Boryeong pig farm.