Ministry of Environment and Others Conduct Mass Search for Wild Boar Carcasses in Civilian Control Zone... 155 Removed, 32 Positive Cases

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The government recently conducted a comprehensive search for wild boar carcasses inside and outside the Civilian Control Line (CCL) to prevent the spread of African Swine Fever (ASF), discovering and removing 155 carcasses. Among these, 32 were confirmed positive.

On the 29th, the Ministry of Environment announced that, in cooperation with the Ministry of National Defense and other related agencies, a joint search for wild boar carcasses was conducted from the 9th to the 28th, resulting in the discovery and removal of 155 carcasses.

Until now, carcass searches have mainly focused on areas surrounding outbreak sites. This comprehensive search was conducted by dividing the area into regions south and north of the CCL, targeting mountainous areas where searches had been insufficient. During the 18-day search period, an average of 336 personnel per day were deployed to areas inside and outside the CCL. Of the 155 carcasses found, 32 were confirmed ASF positive.

According to the Ministry of Environment, during the nine days from the 9th to the 17th, searches were conducted in 165 villages across 38 towns and townships south of the CCL, resulting in the discovery of 57 carcasses, 13 of which tested positive.

From the 20th to the 28th, over nine days, an average of 381 personnel per day were deployed to seven cities and counties north of the CCL and nearby areas, discovering 98 carcasses, 19 of which were confirmed positive.

In areas where it was previously difficult to confirm infection?such as parts of Misan-myeon and Shinseo-myeon in Yeoncheon-gun, parts of Sanae-myeon and Hanam-myeon in Hwacheon-gun, and Yanggu-eup and Bangsan-myeon in Yanggu-gun?almost no carcasses were found during this search.

All four carcasses found in Sanae-myeon and Hanam-myeon, Hwacheon-gun, tested negative, indicating that the ASF virus has not yet spread to these areas or that infection has not widely expanded.

The Ministry of Environment has continuously conducted carcass searches in affected areas since the outbreak of wild boar ASF in October last year, discovering and removing a total of 1,166 carcasses to date.

Starting next month, the search areas will be expanded to include Dongducheon-si and Gapyeong-gun, adjacent to Yeoncheon-gun and Hwacheon-gun, to strengthen early detection of signs of spread to neighboring regions.

Hong Jeong-gi, Vice Minister of Environment and Deputy Head of the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for African Swine Fever, stated, "This comprehensive search is meaningful in that it confirmed the infection status in areas where searches had been insufficient and removed carcasses that could serve as sources of infection. We will make every effort to conduct more detailed searches to prevent the spread of the virus."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.