MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th December, 2020) South Korea has recorded more than 30 cases of avian influenza in the country's poultry farms, the Ministry of Agriculture, food and Rural Affairs said on Tuesday.
South Korea confirmed in late November the first case of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian flu this year at a waterfowl farm in North Jeolla province. Previously, cases of infection with the strain were recorded only among wild birds. Outbreaks of the virus have since spread to farms across the entire country.
According to the ministry, two more H5 avian influenza antigen were found on Tuesday at farms in the cities of Pyeongtaek and Goyang in the most populous Gyeonggi province and is being tested to determine weather it is highly pathogenic. The Disease Control Headquarters, set up in the country amid a rise in cases, has sent specialists to these farms to conduct an inspection.
The country's warning level for avian flu has been raised to "serious danger." Authorities said they had destroyed 9.8 million poultry since November 28 to prevent the spread of avian influenza. Poultry is destroyed on farms located within a radius of 3 kilometers (2 miles) from the source of infection.
