SEOUL – On April 11, South Korea began culling more than 25,000 head of cattle and hogs in an effort to contain an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (F.M.D.) affecting a region north-west of the capital Seoul, according to Reuters.

Eight hundred officials and soldiers were enlisted by Gangwha county to cull the animals within a 1.8-mile radius of one farm that announced it had an outbreak last week. Officials said there are increasing numbers of reports on other suspected cases.

F.M.D. spreads due to a highly-contagious virus that affects cattle, hogs, sheep and other cervids. This most recent case comes on the heels of an outbreak in a northern region in January that resulted in halting pork and beef exports, although South Korea is a net importer of meat.