Ganghwa County Steps Up High-Intensity Quarantine Measures to Block African Swine Fever (ASF)

[Suwon Ilbo=Reporter Shin Eun-seop] Following the outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) at a pig farm in Goseong, Gangwon Province, Ganghwa County has launched preemptive high-intensity quarantine response measures.

African swine fever continues to spread among wild boars, with 1,562 cases reported to date, and the number of infected animals is on an increasing trend centered on Gyeonggi and Gangwon provinces, making it impossible to rule out the possibility of the disease spreading into the county.

In response, the county has established a quarantine headquarters and is conducting regular joint quarantine inspections and ASF virus tests on pig farms.

At Naengjeong-ri in Seonwon-myeon, a round-the-clock disinfection facility equipped with an unmanned automated system has been operated to track livestock vehicles and eliminate blind spots in disinfection spraying that existed with conventional manual systems.

Additionally, the county is introducing advanced drone-based quarantine measures to support pig farms and address quarantine blind spots. Drones can efficiently disinfect contaminated barn roofs and locations where vehicle disinfection is impossible without quarantine personnel entering the farm.

The county is also operating a joint pest control unit with the Incheon Ganghwa Ongjin Livestock Cooperative Association to expand disinfection support for farms.

A county official said, "To prevent the inflow of infectious diseases into the county, we request active cooperation not only from livestock farmers but also from residents of the county in thorough quarantine measures including disinfection of farm interiors and exteriors as well as incoming vehicles."