Yecheon-gun steps up foot-and-mouth disease response to contain outbreak

Yecheon-gun in North Gyeongsang Province has intensified its on-the-ground response to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Gamcheon-myeon.

County chief An Byeong-yun visited quarantine sites on July 4 and July 5 around 7 a.m. to inspect movement-control checkpoints, following the initial confirmation of the disease on July 3.

At the scene, An met with on-duty workers to hear firsthand about the difficulties of wearing protective gear in the summer heat, working conditions and operational issues, and reviewed measures requiring immediate improvement.

Yecheon-gun has identified maintaining a tight quarantine cordon in the early stages of the outbreak as the key to containing its spread, and is sustaining a high-intensity response combining movement controls, disinfection, emergency vaccination and telephone surveillance.

On July 4 at 12:30 p.m., North Gyeongsang Province Vice Governor Hwang Myeong-seok visited the county's disaster and safety response headquarters to receive a briefing on the outbreak and containment progress, then traveled to a movement-control checkpoint to encourage workers on duty.

On July 5 at 2 p.m., Assembly member Kim Hyeong-dong, along with provincial assembly members Kim Jae-hwan and Choe Byeong-uk and county council members Park Jae-gil, Kwon Dong-u and Jeon Seon-hui, visited a movement-control checkpoint to encourage quarantine workers and assess conditions on the ground.

Earlier that day, Yecheon-gun convened the third meeting of its disaster and safety response headquarters at around 10 a.m., conducting a comprehensive review of follow-up actions from a morning site inspection, vaccine administration progress, telephone surveillance results and checkpoint operations.

"The first priority in foot-and-mouth disease control is thorough containment to prevent the pathogen from spreading beyond the affected area," county chief An said. "The second is to complete vaccinations quickly so that animals can be protected even if they have been exposed."

He added that worker safety and rest arrangements must also be addressed given the demands of wearing protective gear in the summer heat, and called on staff to pay closer attention to disinfectant application and on-site quarantine management to ensure effectiveness does not slip.