South Korea reports new avian influenza case at duck farm

Seoul (The Uttam Hindu): South Korea has confirmed its 12th case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) for the season at a duck farm in the southwestern region, authorities said on Wednesday. The latest case was detected at a duck farm in the county of Buan in North Jeolla Province, some 190 kilometers south of Seoul, according to the authorities. The farm is located in a 10-km radius of another duck farm that reported a highly pathogenic AI case last week, reports Yonhap news agency. To prevent further spread, officials have taken measures to control access to the farm to carry out investigations and culled the affected ducks.

Earlier this month, South Korea confirmed two more cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza at regional farms, bringing the season's total to seven. Authorities said the cases were reported at a duck farm in Gangjin in South Jeolla Province, 410 kms south of Seoul, and a chicken farm in Sejong, 113 kms south of Seoul. The farm owners reported an unusual increase in livestock deaths the previous day, prompting quarantine authorities to conduct detailed inspections. The Gangjin farm was raising around 22,000 ducks, while the Sejong farm had approximately 233,000 chickens. To prevent further spread, the government has issued a nationwide standstill order for all poultry farms until 1 P.M. on Wednesday. Authorities are carrying out epidemiological investigations and culling operations at the two farms. Influenza or flu virus can remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days, scientists have warned. The new Stanford University study comes at a time when outbreaks of bird flu in dairy cattle have raised concerns about the potential for a new pandemic. Notably, the researchers found that flu virus RNA – molecules that carry genetic information but are not considered a health risk – remained detectable in the raw milk for at least 57 days.