South Korea has issued the highest-level crisis warning for African swine fever

A confirmed case of African swine fever was detected at a pig farm in South Korea on Tuesday. The authorities raised the national crisis warning for African swine fever to the highest level.

The Yonhap News Agency reported that the Central Emergency Response Headquarters for African Swine Fever in South Korea said on Tuesday (November 25) that a confirmed case of African swine fever was found at a pig farm in Tangjin City, South Chungcheong Province on the same day. As of now, the national epidemic crisis warning has been raised to the highest "severe" level.

The authorities have also issued a temporary livestock embargo, prohibiting people and vehicles from entering and leaving pig farms, slaughterhouses, feed mills and other related livestock sites across the country within 48 hours.

This is the first confirmed case of African swine fever in South Korea in two months since it was detected in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province in September. It is also the sixth confirmed case in the country this year.

The authorities have urgently dispatched epidemic prevention personnel and epidemiological investigation teams to the pig farms where confirmed cases have occurred, and taken epidemic prevention measures such as restricting entry and exit, culling and disinfection. They have also conducted precise tests on 30 pig farms within a 10-kilometer radius and 106 pig farms with epidemiological links to the confirmed cases.