New avian influenza outbreak reported in South Korea, plans to work with China on AI
The South Korea Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs has confirmed a new outbreak of avian influenza (AI) at a duck farm in Hoengseong, about 90 kilometers east of Seoul, earlier this week, prompting the culling of hundreds of birds, according to a Korea Times report today.
Public domain image/Ben Rudiak-Gould
The newly confirmed outbreak comes as officials were to announce that the bird flu situation was under control. Since the first outbreak reported in mid-February, nearly 14 million birds have been culled. The outbreak has been linked to migratory birds from China.
At the 15th Session of the Conference of the Korea-China Agricultural Cooperation Committee this week, Korean and Chinese authorities discussed policies on agriculture, rural affairs and food security, plans for cooperation for animal disease prevention, exchange and cooperation for agricultural product safety control and plans for exchange and cooperation for animal drugs.
In particular, this session discussed in depth plans for cooperation to prevent the spread of avian influenza (AI) caused by migratory birds. This is expected to contribute to establishing a joint response system for animal diseases through sharing the status of AI outbreaks quickly and conducting joint research on habitats for migratory birds. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page
