FMD South Korea: First outbreak in 9 months
Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD) has emerged on a cattle farm in the north of South Korea, late January. It was the first time in 9 months the viral disease appeared.
The outbreak was found on January 30 in a farm in Incheon, one of the metropolitan cities within South Korea. According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), there were 246 head of cattle on the farm. In total 87 animals were found infected; all animals on the site were culled.
More specifically within Incheon metropolitan city, the case was reported in Ganghwa county, very close to the border with North Korea. The South Korean authorities sent quarantine and epidemiologic experts to the farm to help stop the spread of the disease. A 48-hour standstill was ordered on workers and vehicles with access to farms and other livestock-related facilities in Incheon and neighbouring Gyeonggi province. Farms and animals in the wide surroundings got tested as well.
FMD: a virus for cloven-hoofed animals
FMD can cause disease in cows, pigs, goats and other cloven-hoofed animals. From time to time, the viral disease returns in South Korea. Often it leads to temporary standstill, culls and the outbreaks tend to get controlled relatively quickly. In the years 2010-2011, however, outbreaks led to significant culling in both cattle and pig industries and a subsequent disruption of the livestock industry.
The last outbreak of FMD in South Korea dates back to April, 2025. During that outbreak, over 2,100 head of cattle and over 14,000 head of swine were involved.
