SEOUL
The first African swine fever case in two months in South Korea, confirmed on Saturday, prompted authorities to cull thousands of pigs and issue a standstill order to prevent the virus from spreading, Yonhap news reported.
Twenty-nine of the 32 pigs that died at a farm in the eastern city of Gangneung tested positive for the virus on Friday, according to the provincial government.
This is the first outbreak since November, when cases were reported in South Chungcheong province.
About 20,000 pigs at the affected farm were culled to contain the spread, while a 48-hour standstill order has been imposed on pig farms in six neighboring cities and counties.
Prime Minister Kim Min-seok ordered emergency containment measures, and emphasized the need for a thorough epidemiological investigation to find out the outbreak’s cause.
African swine fever is harmless to humans but highly contagious and fatal to pigs and wild boar.
