hankyoreh

at a farm in Buan County

By Park Im-keun and Jung Dae-ha, North Jeolla and Gwangju correspondents

A strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or bird flu, has been detected in samples taken from a duck farm in Buan County, North Jeolla Province. This was the second duck farm where suspicious signs were reported on Jan. 17. The South Korean government placed a temporary ban on transportation by poultry and livestock workers and their vehicles in North and South Jeolla Provinces and Gwangju. The standstill will last until the end of today.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs on Jan. 19, bird flu was detected in all the samples taken from two duck farms in Buan County. After the first report was received from a duck farm in Shillim Township, Gochang County, North Jeolla Province on Jan. 16, suspicious signs were reported on Jan. 17 and 18 by duck farms in Julpo Township, Buan County. Of these reports, the Ministry announced that the H5N8 strain of highly pathogenic bird flu was confirmed in the samples collected on Jan. 17 in Julpo Township, Buan County. This was the same strain as the one found in Shillim Township.

As more confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic strain of bird flu are discovered, the government is working to contain the spread of the disease, increasing the number of transportation control posts in North Jeolla Province from 91 to 170 and setting up 81 disinfection posts for vehicles. The Ministry announced on Sunday that it had buried about 90,000 chickens and ducks in a 500m radius of the farms where the outbreak was reported. South Jeolla Province also set up 64 transportation control posts and 58 disinfection posts for vehicles.

The government also issued a standstill (temporary ban on transportation) for people working with livestock and poultry (chicken and ducks) and their vehicles in North and South Jeolla Provinces and Gwangju. The temporary ban, derived from the Act on the Prevention of Contagious Animal Diseases, prevents vehicles from entering or exiting farms. This is the first time such an order has been made since the system was set up in 2012.

The government is also carrying out close examination of samples extracted from a flock of about 100 dead Baikal teal from Dongrim Reservoir in Seongnae Township. The reservoir is located a little over 5 km from the duck farm where the outbreak was first detected.

On Jan. 18, Prime Minister Chung Hong-won said the government would be making an all-out effort to prevent the spread of bird flu.

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