S. Korea culls thousands of birds as H5N6 avian flu outbreak cases rise to four
Two more poultry farms in South Korea has reported confirmed cases of an outbreak of the highly pathogenic bird flu on November 22, according to the country’s Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Rural Affairs, resulting in the culling of some 22,000 ducks in Muan, South Jeolla Province and 8,500 in Cheongju, in North Chungcheong Province.
With the two new outbreaks, the number of confirmed H5N6 avian influenza cases in the country has now risen to four.
The latest outbreaks come only four days after the H5N6 avian influenza virus was detected at a chicken farm in Haenam, South Jeolla Province, and a duck farm in Eumseong, in North Chungcheong Province. Those cases resulted in about 40,000 chickens and 22,000 ducks being culled.
This is the first time that the H5N6 virus has been found in South Korea, which has previously seen outbreaks of the H5N1 and H5N8 avian influenza strains. The H5N6 virus has been previously seen in China, Vietnam, Laos and Hong Kong. In 2014, China reported that a human has been infected by the H5N6 strain.
The ministry has dispatched a quarantine team to the sites and begun to restrict the movement of animals, people and vehicles at the farms.
