South Korea battles rapid spread of foot-and-mouth disease, bird flu

SEOUL: South Korea on Sunday reported seven new cases of foot-and-mouth disease as the country battles its worst outbreak of the highly contagious virus and its first avian influenza outbreak in more than two years.

The agriculture ministry con­firmed seven cases of foot-and-mouth disease in cattle and pig farms at five cities across the country, bringing the total number of cases to 74 since November 29.