This year's first case of avian influenza was found in the southwestern parts of South Korea in early December. Investigators found the H5N6-type, an extremely infectious type, among the viruses. The southwestern parts including Chungcheong Province and Jeolla Province are home to migratory birds that fly from northern China, Russia, and Mongolia to the Korean Peninsula where winter is warmer.
The state-operated control tower for avian influenza said that a total of 18 cities, provinces, and counties were designated as "special management zones" for avian influenza, and quarantine measures designed to prepare and prevent the spread of the infectious bird disease will be taken. A total of 217 special management teams will be deployed to egg and poultry farms for check-ups on the disinfection status of facilities and other possible vulnerabilities.
The avian influenza control tower will mainly focus on minimizing the access of people and vehicles between farms. All vehicles must go through a two-step disinfection process to enter a farm. Farms with good management records will be gradually exempted from a temporary halt on the transport of poultry.
The control tower will also focus on the inspection of duck farms as ducks are more prone to avian influenza than chickens. Ducks also show weaker or zero symptoms before the disease has spread to the whole farm. All ducks within the vicinity of one kilometer (0.6 miles) of an infected duck farm will be culled.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com
