Just ten days after South Korea confirmed the first cases of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) in more than four years on farms in South Chungcheong Province, Seoul Pyongyang News (SPN) has reported that cows in North Korea’s two Pyongan provinces are also showing symptoms of FMD. The disease is a severe, highly contagious, transboundary virus in cloven-hoofed animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep, deer and goats. Its fatality rate ranges between 5 and 55%.
A source in North Korea covering North and South Pyongan provinces told SPN on May 21 that “symptoms such as blisters on mouths and teats” were observed on cows on farms in Uiju County in North Pyongan Province and Anju City in South Pyongan Province, and that some of them had already died.
An infection with FMD manifests itself by fevers and blister-like sores on the sick animal’s tongue and lips, in the mouth, on the teats and between its hooves, causing it severe pain and distress. Though the disease is usually only fatal in young or weak livestock, it often leaves recovered animals weakened, debilitated and severely limited in productivity.
A widespread outbreak of FMD could therefore be another major economic setback for North Korea’s already struggling agriculture and economy.
SPN source: The regime is “neglecting” the disease
If the report is true, the North Korean regime faces a major dilemma: Under World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) guidelines, it would have to publicly disclose the outbreak, order affected livestock producers to slaughter all sick, recovered and FMD-susceptible animals, and comply with strict quarantine regulations. However, this would affect the DPRK’s economy, food supplies and livestock trade significantly – consequences the drought- and sanctions-stricken country cannot really afford.
In addition, most collective farms lack appropriate resources – such as disinfectants and quicklime – to prevent an outbreak of the disease. In addition, they might not be sufficiently educated about the virus and the way it spreads, and often assume that their animals will recover on their own.
According to SNP’s source, the North Korean authorities thus chose “not to report the situation to the World Organization for Animal Health,” but instead only “called it a ‘paw disease,’ and neglected it by leaving the treatment to local veterinary quarantine officials.”
Previous outbreaks
In 2011, DPRK state media announced that about 10,000 pigs and cows had contracted FMD, several thousand of which eventually died. A national committee for emergency veterinary disinfection was established back then, and a nationwide “emergency disinfection” was ordered.
Three years later, in 2014, the WOAH was informed of a new outbreak in the DPRK, which began in a pig factory in Pyongyang on Jan. 8 and spread to a total of 17 other counties in both the capital (Sadong, Ryokpo, Sunan, Rakrang) and North Hwanghae Province (Junghwa, Kangnam) in the following months. A total of 3,280 pigs reportedly died at that time – 369 from the disease itself; 2,911 more had to be slaughtered.
The last nationwide spread of FMD in North Korea was reported in January 2019 and resulted in the deaths of many working cattle on collective farms – in part because “no proactive measures have been taken,” as a reporting partner in North Pyongan Province told Daily NK at the time.
Edited by Robert Lauler.
