SOKOR CONFIRMS 2ND AVIAN FLU CASE; CULLS 188,000 CHICKENS

South Korea confirmed on Wednesday another highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) case from local poultry farms, sparking further concerns over possible nationwide transmission of the disease, Kang Yoon-seung reported for Yonhap news agency.

A suspected case from an egg farm in Sangju, 270 kilometers southeast of Seoul, earlier this week tested to be a highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.

Local authorities said they are currently culling 188,000 chickens being raised at the farm, along with 120,000 quails. South Korea plans to further slaughter 251,000 chickens within a 3-kilometer radius of the infected farm as well. The authorities also plan to carry out tests on all farms within a 10-kilometer radius and issue a 30-day movement ban.

On Saturday, South Korea confirmed a highly pathogenic AI case at a duck farm in Jeongeup, the first such case to be reported from a poultry farm since March 2018. Authorities have culled around 400,000 domestic birds due to the infection from Jeongeup. The ministry said there was a small creek around the infected farm, which can serve as a habitat for wild birds. They are investigating whether the two separate cases from local farms were related.