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S. Korea confirms new bird flu case

October 22, 2015

Bird flu is highly contagious so authorities are taking necessary measures to contain the virus. (Yonhap)

SEOUL (Yonhap) — South Korea confirmed a new case of bird flu on Thursday, bringing the total to eight over the last one-month period.

The Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said ducks at a poultry farm in Yeongam, 384 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive for the H5N8 strain of avian influenza (AI).

All 27,000 ducks were culled on Monday as a precautionary measure, after some birds showed signs of being sick before they were to be shipped out, it said.

“The farm has been under quarantine ever since with the area being decontaminated to prevent the virulent virus from spreading,” a ministry official said.

He said officials at the site are following set operating procedures to restrict movement of traffic, taking all necessary steps to create a firewall and track the movement of potential risks in efforts to control the spread of AI.

“As of today, 81,520 birds have been culled since the middle of September,” he said.

The latest outbreak is viewed as a continuation of the outbreak that hit the country from Sept. 24, 2014, through to June 10 of this year.

Birds at two duck farms in South Jeolla Prince first tested positive for AI on Sept. 18, followed by two traditional markets, a holding facility and an eatery that serves poultry. There was another duck farm that was infected late last month.

For now, all confirmed outbreaks have been contained in the southwestern part of the country.