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| The number of wild boars infected with the African swine fever virus has been increasing in South Korea. Yonhap |
The number of wild boars infected with the deadly African swine fever (ASF) virus has been continuously increasing despite a two-month hiatus of new outbreaks at local farms, data showed Saturday.
The total number of boars infected with the virus here has reached 39 since the first such case was reported in October, according to local quarantine authorities
The animal disease struck South Korea for the first time at a farm bordering North Korea, Sept. 17.
So far, the country has confirmed 14 cases of ASF at local farms, although the last case among domesticated pigs was reported Oct. 9.
Although the incubation period is around three weeks, authorities are still remaining vigilant as another outbreak could happen anytime through contact with the wild boars. As part of preventive measures, the government has already culled nearly 400,000 pigs.
Last month, it also completed the construction of fences totaling 118 kilometers in length and 1.5 meters high in Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces in an effort to keep the boars out.
"It is vital to quickly search and eliminate the carcasses to prevent the spread of the virus," an official from the National Institute of Environmental Research said. "We plan to carry out a complete search to find more infected bodies."
The government and local authorities have deployed hundreds of soldiers and civilian hunters to areas bordering North Korea to shoot and kill the wild boars.
The animal disease does not affect humans but is deadly to pigs, and currently there is no vaccine or cure for the disease.
All cases, both in domestic pigs and wild boars, were reported north of Seoul, and the local authorities have been putting their top priority on containing the virus and stopping it spreading to other areas.
The virus spreads through direct contact with infected animals or their remains, unlike other animal diseases, such as foot-and-mouth disease, which is airborne. (Yonhap)
