South Korea Reports Another Case of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza at Duck Farm
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Seoul, Dec 18 (NationPress) South Korea has confirmed its 12th case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) this season at a duck farm situated in the southwestern area, according to officials on Wednesday.
The most recent case was identified at a duck farm in the county of Buan, located in North Jeolla Province, approximately 190 kilometers south of Seoul, as stated by the authorities.
This farm is within a 10-km radius of another duck farm that reported a case of highly pathogenic AI just last week, according to Yonhap news agency.
To mitigate further transmission, officials have implemented restrictions on access to the farm to conduct thorough investigations and have culled the affected ducks.
Earlier this month, South Korea reported two additional cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza at regional farms, raising the season's total to seven. These cases were identified at a duck farm in Gangjin, located in South Jeolla Province, about 410 kilometers south of Seoul, and a chicken farm in Sejong, which is 113 kilometers south of the capital.
The owners of the farms reported an unusual surge in livestock fatalities the day prior, prompting quarantine officials to initiate detailed inspections. The Gangjin farm was housing around 22,000 ducks, while the Sejong facility had approximately 233,000 chickens.
To avert further outbreaks, the government has issued a nationwide standstill order for all poultry farms until 1 P.M. on Wednesday. Authorities are conducting epidemiological investigations and culling operations at the two affected farms.
Recent research from Stanford University indicates that the influenza virus can remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days. This study emerges amid rising concerns regarding outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cattle and the potential risk of a new pandemic.
Importantly, the researchers discovered that flu virus RNA – which carries genetic information but is not considered a health threat – remained detectable in raw milk for at least 57 days.
