South Korea Issues "Severe"-Level Crisis Alert! What Happened?

According to CCTV News, South Korea's Central African Swine Fever Accident Control Headquarters reported on November 25 that an African Swine Fever (ASF) outbreak had occurred at a pig farm in Dangjin City, South Chungcheong Province. The Central Accident Control Headquarters raised the national ASF crisis alert level to "Severe" starting that day.

It is understood that the affected farm was raising a total of 463 pigs. Two pigs died on the 17th and 18th of this month, followed by four more deaths on the 23rd and 24th. The South Chungcheong Provincial Health Laboratory tested the dead pigs and 14 other pigs from the farm, confirming them as positive for the African Swine Fever virus. Disease control authorities subsequently dispatched containment teams to disinfect 28 pig farms within a 10-kilometer radius of the outbreak site and implemented movement restrictions.

This ASF outbreak marks a recurrence of the disease in South Korea following an outbreak in Yeoncheon County, Gyeonggi Province, last September. It is the sixth ASF outbreak recorded this year.

According to CCTV News, South Korea also experienced multiple ASF outbreaks last year. Local government authorities have imposed transport bans on pig farms and related facilities, and will carry out measures including culling pigs, and disinfecting the affected farm and nearby roads.

African Swine Fever is an acute, hemorrhagic, and highly contagious viral disease affecting pigs, caused by the African Swine Fever virus. It is characterized by high fever, severe hemorrhaging in internal organs, and high mortality rates. ASF is not a zoonotic disease; the virus does not infect humans. However, contaminated items such as food, shoes, tools, or vehicles can facilitate the spread of the virus. This virus can survive for long periods under non-high-temperature conditions. Currently, there is no effective animal vaccine or specific treatment available for prevention or control.