South Korea: MAFRA Warns on Risks From HPAI, ASF & FMD During Upcoming Lunar New Year - MAFRA Reports 7 ASF Outbreaks in 2026

[Michael Coston]

South Korea: MAFRA Warns on Risks From HPAI, ASF & FMD During Upcoming Lunar New Year




#19,038

For many Asian cultures it is a long held tradition that people return home to attend a reunion dinner with their families on the eve of the lunar New Year, which this year falls on February 17th.

In China, it is known as Chinese New Year or Chunyun; The Spring Festival. In South Korea, it is called Seollal.

But by whatever name, the lunar new year sparks the largest yearly human migration on the planet. This year, China alone expects to see > 9 Billion domestic passenger tripsundertaken during the 40 day `travel season'.

Like with the Hajj, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, and other mass gathering events, there are always potential epidemiological impacts (see The Lancet: Proactive Surveillance for Avian Influenza H5N1 and Other Priority Pathogens at Mass Gathering Events).

First and foremost, there are concerns over the carriage and spread of infectious diseases by travellers, but there are other, less apparent risks; including the transport of potentially contaminated/infected food products or agricultural diseases via physical contamination.



In 2018, in South Korea Detects ASF Gene In Chinese Food Products, we saw the first of several discoveries of the ASF gene (via preliminary PCR testing) in food products brought into that country by travelers returning from China.

In addition to seeing a very active HPAI season, South Korea has also reported 4 outbreaks of ASF (African Swine Fever) and one of FMD (Foot & Mouth Disease) in the first month of 2026.

This triple whammy of livestock diseases on the eve of the Spring Travel Season has MAFRA on full alert. Today, they released a lengthy summary of these threats, and an action plan to deal with them.

Due to its length, I've only posted some (translated) excerpts. I'll return with a postscript after the break.

The Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs is taking all-out measures to combat livestock infectious diseases in preparation for the Lunar New Year holiday.
2026.02.02 15:50:42 Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevention Division, Quarantine Policy Bureau

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for Livestock Infectious Diseases ( Director Song Mei-ryeong , Minister of Agriculture , Food and Rural Affairs, hereinafter referred to as the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters ) held a meeting of the Headquarters on Monday, February 2 with the participation of livestock quarantine-related organizations and local governments to review the response to foot-and- mouth disease , African swine fever , and highly pathogenic avian influenza , and comprehensively discuss measures to prevent further spread .

1. Situation

Foot-and-mouth disease was first reported this year on Friday, January 30th at a small farm in Ganghwa-gun, Incheon Metropolitan City. Quarantine measures are being implemented to prevent further spread, including a temporary halt to movement , emergency vaccinations ( January 31st - February 8th ), surveillance , testing, and disinfection. There have been no further outbreaks .

* Past occurrences : 19 cases in 2025 ( Yeongam and Muan ), 11 cases in 2023 ( Cheongju and Jeungpyeong ), 3 cases in 2019 ( Anseong and Chungju )

African swine fever has occurred sporadically across the country with a total of 4 cases in January this year: Gangneung , Gangwon-do (1.16.), Anseong, Gyeonggi-do (1.23 .), Pocheon , Gyeonggi- do (1.24.), and Yeonggwang, Jeollanam-do (1.26.). As a result, quarantine measures such as movement restrictions and disinfection are being implemented . In addition, an additional case was confirmed (2.1.) at a farm related to the outbreak farm in Yeonggwang, Jeollanam- do ( Gochang , Jeollabuk-do , raising about 17,000 pigs ) , and measures such as culling, surveillance , and inspection are being taken .

* Past occurrences : 14 cases in 2019 , 2 cases in 2020 , 5 cases in 2021 , 7 cases in 2022 , 10 cases in 2023 , 11 cases in 2024 , 6 cases in 2025

Highly pathogenic avian influenza has occurred in 38 cases in poultry farms so far this winter ( '25 / '26 season ) , and 41 cases have been detected in wild birds ** .

* Status of outbreaks at poultry farms ( total of 38 cases ): 9 cases in Gyeonggi , 9 cases in North Chungcheong , 8 cases in South Chungcheong , 3 cases in North Jeolla , 8 cases in South Jeolla , 1 case in Gwangju

** Status of wild bird detection ( total 41 cases ): 3 cases in Gyeonggi , 3 cases in Gangwon , 1 case in North Chungcheong , 10 cases in South Chungcheong , 6 cases in North Jeolla , 6 cases in South Jeolla , 3 cases in North Gyeongsang , 2 cases in South Gyeongsang , 4 cases in Jeju , 1 case in Seoul , 1 case in Busan , 1 case in Gwangju

Recently, the number of cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza detected in wild birds has been increasing * , and the results of a survey on winter migratory bird habitats also showed that the population increased by approximately 8% ** compared to the previous month .

* Monthly detection status of wild birds (41 cases ): (October ) 2 cases → (November ) 11 cases → (December ) 10 cases → ( January ) 18 cases

** Status of wild bird population ( Ministry of Climate ): (December ) 1.25 million → ( January ) 1.35 million (8% increase )

In particular , considering the fact that damage was significant in farms and laying hen farms within the quarantine area (10km) in past outbreaks and this winter outbreak, there is a possibility that the outbreak will continue until February , so thorough quarantine management is required until February , the special quarantine period .

As the movement of people and vehicles is expected to increase around the Lunar New Year holidays (February 14-18) , there is concern that the risk of outbreaks of livestock infectious diseases will increase , especially in farms where quarantine management such as disinfection and vaccination is inadequate . Therefore , it is necessary to comprehensively inspect the response situation and strengthen on-site quarantine management to prevent additional outbreaks in advance .

(SNIP)

5. Requests

Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Song Mei-ryung emphasized , “ Given the grave situation, thorough quarantine is more important than anything else in order to prevent further outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease, African swine fever , and highly pathogenic avian influenza ,” and “ Related ministries and local governments will closely inspect farms for foot-and-mouth disease vaccination , disinfection of livestock vehicles , entry and exit management , and compliance with quarantine rules through special inspections of farms and operation of dedicated officers . They will also be thorough in surveillance and inspection . ”

In addition,“ as an increase in the movement of people and vehicles is expected ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday , livestock farms and livestock officials are requested to thoroughly follow basic quarantine rules such as two- stage disinfection of vehicles entering and exiting , wearing quarantine suits inside livestock sheds, and changing boots . ”

While there are always concerns that the Lunar New Year, the Hajj, Olympics, or some other mass gathering event could help catapult an exotic virus onto the world stage, they are far more likely to exacerbate an existing threat, such as seasonal flu, COVID, or Measles.

Two weeks ago, in Public Health Ontario: Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment (HIRA) For the FIFA World Cup 2026 Games in Toronto, we saw the biggest concerns for this summer's FIFA World Cup were COVID, Measles, and Food and Waterborne diseases.

This month, in addition to the Lunar New Year, there will be at least 4 other major mass gathering events:

• the Super Bowl in Santa Clara, CA,
• the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, Italy
• Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
• Mardi Gras in New Orleans

While the odds are we'll get through these events without a major outbreak, the potential for spreading human or agricultural diseases is ever present. Which is why public health agencies around the globe will be on heightened alert for the next 6 weeks or so.

https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/...isks-from.html

[sharon sanders]

Please see:

South Korea Tracking

S. Korea: 2025+ African Swine Fever

South Korea - Foot and mouth disease in animals 2025+

[Michael Coston]

South Korea: MAFRA Announces Additional Outbreaks of ASF (African Swine Fever)




#19,042

Two days ago, in South Korea: MAFRA Warns on Risks From HPAI, ASF & FMD During Upcoming Lunar New Year, we looked at concerns over South Korea's recent spike in livestock diseases prior to the Lunar New Year, including 4 outbreaks of ASF in January.

While South Korea only reported 6 outbreaks of ASF in all of 2025, over the past 2 days 3 more outbreaks have been reported, making 7 reported in just over 2 weeks time.

Although the number of farms (and pigs) affected remains small, this represents a worrisome uptick in reports. Given the explosive nature of past outbreaks, MAFRA is pulling out all of the stops in an attempt to nip this one in the bud.

First, the (translated) announcement from MAFA, after which I'll have a bit more.

Additional African swine fever cases reported in Changnyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do; enhanced quarantine measures implemented.


2026.02.04 16:55:46 Foot-and-Mouth Disease Prevention Division, Quarantine Policy Bureau

The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters for African Swine Fever ( Chief: Song Mei-ryeong , Minister of Agriculture , Food and Rural Affairs , hereinafter referred to as the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters) held a meeting of relevant ministries and local governments on Wednesday, February 4th , to review the outbreak situation and quarantine measures following the confirmation of African swine fever (ASF) at a pig farm (raising 2,400 pigs) in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do .

1. Situation

This outbreak in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, occurred on February 3 ( Tuesday ) following a report of pig deaths. A detailed examination was conducted , and the positive result for African swine fever was confirmed on February 4 ( Wednesday ) . This is the seventh confirmed case nationwide this year .

* Farm occurrences in 2025 (6 cases ): Gyeonggi ① Yangju (1.20, 50th ) , ② Yangju (1.28, 51st ) , ③ Yangju (3.16, 52nd ) , ④ Paju (7.16, 53rd ), ⑤ Yeoncheon (9.14, 54th ) , Chungnam ⑥ Dangjin (11.24, 55th )

** Farm outbreaks in 2026 (7 cases ): Gangwon ① Gangneung (1.16, 56th ) , Gyeonggi ② Anseong (1.23, 57th ) , Pocheon (1.24, 58th ) , Jeollanam-do ④ Yeonggwang ( 1.26, 59th ) , Jeollabuk-do ⑤ Gochang (2.1, 60th ) , Chungcheongnam-do ⑥ Boryeong (2.3, 61st ) , Gyeongsangnam-do ⑦ Changnyeong (2.3, 62nd )

2. Quarantine measures for farms where the outbreak occurred

As African swine fever was confirmed at a pig farm in Changnyeong-gun, Gyeongsangnam-do, the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters immediately dispatched an initial quarantine team and an epidemiological investigation team to the site to control entry of outsiders and vehicles into the farm , and to prevent further spread, 2,400 pigs at the outbreak farm were culled and emergency quarantine measures such as disinfection and epidemiological investigation are being implemented .

Second , a temporary standstill order was issued for workers and vehicles at livestock facilities such as pig farms , slaughterhouses , and feed factories nationwide for 24 hours from 2:30 PM on Wednesday , February 4 , 2026 to 2:30 PM on Thursday, February 5 , and compliance is being monitored .

Third , in order to block the spread of the virus within the outbreak area, we are mobilizing all 63 available disinfection resources , including wide-area disinfection equipment and quarantine vehicles, to intensively disinfect pig farms (No. 303) and surrounding roads in Changnyeong , Gyeongsangnam - do and eight adjacent cities and counties ( Hapcheon , Uiryeong , Haman , Changwon , and Miryang in Gyeongsangnam-do; Cheongdo and Goryeong in Gyeongsangbuk-do ; and Dalseong in Daegu ) . In addition , a central mobile quarantine organization consisting of three people , one from the Ministry of Agriculture , Food and Rural Affairs and two from the Quarantine Headquarters, has been dispatched to the outbreak city or county to comprehensively manage the on-site situation, including culling, burial, and disposal of residue .

* Available resources : 41 quarantine vehicles from the Joint Disinfection Team , 14 quarantine vehicles owned by local governments , and 8 vehicles leased by the National Agricultural Cooperative Federation.

Fourth , urgent detailed inspections are being conducted on farm No. 14 within a 10km quarantine zone around the outbreak farm and pig farm No. 148 with an epidemiological relationship with the outbreak farm , clinical examinations are being conducted on farm No. 919 with an epidemiological relationship with the outbreak farm , and cleaning and disinfection are being conducted on 15 vehicles .

3. Additional measures to strengthen quarantine management against ASF

We will inspect the on-site implementation status of the ASF quarantine management reinforcement measures announced and implemented in the revised version and strengthen their effectiveness , and strengthen the following additional quarantine measures for people , vehicles , livestock , and goods to prevent further outbreaks of ASF .

First , for pig farm workers, in preparation for the Chuseok holiday, when there is a lot of human interaction, gatherings ( events ) and the import and storage of illegal livestock products will be prohibited , and quarantine education and publicity by nationality will continue to be promoted by understanding the status of farm workers .

Second , in order to block the illegal distribution and trading of illegal livestock products ( beef , pork, etc. ) through domestic and international delivery services , we will cooperate with relevant organizations and also conduct monitoring and inspections of illegal livestock products traded online , etc.

Third , environmental inspections will be conducted on imported supplies ( purchased online ) used inside livestock houses, such as automatic waterers and feeders, and on items stored by importers of foreign equipment. For pig farms , quarantine management will be strengthened to ensure that such items are disinfected before entering the livestock house .

Fourth , for slaughterhouses with a high risk of cross-contamination due to the high number of livestock , people , and vehicles entering and leaving, environmental inspections will be strengthened . In particular , livestock transport vehicles will be prohibited from transshipping in places without separate disinfection facilities, and if violations such as livestock vehicles not being equipped with GPS are confirmed, strong measures such as punishment will be taken .

Fifth , we plan to take action by conducting additional investigations and tests on wild birds , feed from outbreak farms , and groundwater that are at risk of contamination based on comprehensive inspections of feed , additives, and raw materials , environmental inspections of feed companies, and epidemiological investigations, to identify the cause of the inflow .

Lastly, in order to protect a large number of good farmers, there are many cases where basic quarantine rules are not followed at outbreak farms. Therefore, if violations of quarantine rules are confirmed, we plan to take strict measures such as reducing the compensation for culling .

4. Requests

The mobile quarantine policy director emphasized, “ Including Changnyeong, Gyeongsangnam-do, there have already been seven sporadic outbreaks of African swine fever across the country in January alone, ” and “ Except for Pocheon, this is a new region where there were no farm outbreaks or wild boars detected , so the risk of African swine fever outbreak is nationwide , and the current quarantine situation is very serious . ”

* By year : ('19) 14 cases → ('20) 2 → ('21) 5 → ('22) 7 → ('23) 10 → ('24) 11 → ('25) 6 → ('26) 7

Additionally, the government said , “ We will keep in mind all possibilities, such as illegal livestock products and goods possessed by farm workers , and mobilize all available means to block the virus from entering farms, ” and requested, “ We ask local governments to thoroughly disinfect and control access to all pig farms, including livestock products , goods , and vehicles related to pig farms and workers . ”
In particular, “ In order to prevent delays in reporting African swine fever, please report without delay when suspicious symptoms occur so that there are no disadvantages in culling compensation, ” and “ We will conduct a detailed epidemiological investigation on farms suspected of delaying reporting livestock deaths among recently reported farms , and if it is confirmed that the delay in reporting was the cause of the spread of African swine fever , we will respond strongly, including reducing the culling compensation and seeking compensation . ”

In addition , he requested, “ All pig farms should thoroughly disinfect all people , equipment , and goods entering the farm with the mindset that they are protecting their own farm , and follow basic quarantine rules such as washing hands , changing protective clothing and boots , and disinfecting when entering and exiting the barn , as well as thoroughly conduct clinical observations of the pigs raised every day . ”

5. Pork supply and demand

The number of pigs culled due to this outbreak of African swine fever is 2,400 , which is less than 0.02% of the total number of pigs raised (11.754 million ) , and the impact on the domestic pork supply and demand is minimal . However , with the Lunar New Year holiday just two weeks away , the Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasures Headquarters plans to continue to closely monitor the supply and demand situation and manage the livestock product supply and demand without any gaps .

African Swine Fever (ASF) doesn't affect human health directly, but it reportedly killed somewhere around 1/3rd of the world's swine during the last decade - mostly in Asia and Eastern Europe - which often leads to steep economic losses and food insecurity.

While African Swine Fever can be transmitted directly from pig-to-pig, and can be carried by certain types of ticks, in many cases the virus has been spread by the movement of contaminated food products, animal feed or bedding, or other products to uninfected regions.

Between 2018-2019, China witnessed the worst ASF outbreak on record, losing an estimated 150-200 million pigs to the disease (see African Swine Fever In China: Epizootic or An EpicZootic?), although the exact number remains a closely held secret.

For now North American remains free from the ASF virus, but the more inroads it makes around the globe, the more opportunities it will have to jump into our backyard (see USDA's A qualitative assessment of the likelihood of ASF virus entry to the United States. March 2019).

https://afludiary.blogspot.com/2026/02/south-korea-mafra-announces-additional.html