Quarantine Headquarters issues highly pathogenic AI risk warning… Strengthening quarantine at poultry farms

10 cases of wild birds and 6 cases of poultry farms... Request to comply with quarantine rules

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Kim Se-rin = The Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Quarantine Headquarters announced that it had issued a highly pathogenic AI risk warning on the 13th due to the recent successive outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) in wild birds and poultry farms.

According to the Quarantine Headquarters, since highly pathogenic AI antigens were detected in wild bird feces collected from Suncheon Bay on the 12th of last month, 10 cases of highly pathogenic AI have been confirmed in wild birds and 6 cases in poultry farms.

In particular, two serotypes, H5N1 and H5N9, were confirmed this winter, and outbreaks are concentrated in a short period of time.

The Quarantine Headquarters explained that as the influx of migratory birds into the country is expected to increase, there is a high risk of the virus spreading from wild birds to poultry farms.

Accordingly, a risk warning was disseminated to poultry farms and livestock facilities across the country, and they were asked to comply with quarantine rules, such as two-stage disinfection of vehicles entering the farm, wearing quarantine clothing and special shoes for those entering the farm, and disinfecting hands when entering the barn.

In addition, we plan to strengthen inspections on whether livestock vehicles enter farms and whether base disinfection facilities are disinfected.

Jeong Seung-gyo, acting head of the Quarantine Headquarters, said, "As the number of outbreaks in farms has recently increased and migratory birds are expected to arrive in earnest from November, this is a serious situation that could occur anywhere in the country," and requested thorough quarantine at the farm level.