South Korea confirmed two additional foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks on Saturday, despite nationwide quarantine efforts to contain the spread of the highly contagious animal disease.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said cattle at farms in North Gyeongsang Province in the country's southeastern region and Gangwon Province on the east coast tested positive for FMD.
All 97 animals at the farms have been ordered culled and buried to prevent the spread of FMD, the ministry said, with livestock within a 500-meter radius of the outbreaks to be destroyed as a precautionary measure.
The animals had been quarantined as of Friday after some started to show symptoms, like excessive drooling, blisters on nipples and loss of appetite.
The latest tally came after the first outbreak was confirmed in Andong, 270 kilometers from Seoul, on Nov. 29 and is the severest outbreak in the country's history.
Seoul reported a total of 67 cases and several others that are not included in the official FMD tally because the animals were destroyed before tests results were verified in four provinces and the city of Incheon, west of Seoul.
More than 643,000 animals have been ordered culled and the vaccination of 361,000 animals at 14,000 farms across the country are under way to stem the spread with losses estimated at well over 520 billion won (US$463 million).
The country was hit by the disease in 2000, 2002 and two more times earlier this year.
Reflecting the grave situation, Seoul announced on Dec. 22 that it would start vaccinating cattle and upgraded the country's quarantine alert level to "red" -- the highest in a four-tier response scale. A central crisis management headquarters has also been set up.
FMD is highly contagious and affects all cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle, pigs, deer, goats and buffalo, although it is harmless to humans. It is classified as a "List A" disease by the Paris-based World Organization for Animal Health.