CHEONAN, SOUTH KOREA – Authorities in Chungcheongnam-do Province are scrambling to contain a new outbreak of avian influenza (AI), with the H5 strain detected at a laying hen farm in Cheonan City. This marks the fourth instance of AI in Cheonan this winter, prompting immediate and stringent quarantine measures across the province.

The affected farm, housing approximately 180,000 laying hens, triggered an alert when the farm owner reported a significant spike in mortality. Daily deaths, which typically ranged from 14 to 20 birds, surged to 74 on Friday, April 3rd, leading to immediate notification of the quarantine authorities.

Rapid diagnostic tests confirmed the presence of the H5 avian influenza antigen by 9:00 AM today, Saturday, April 5th. Samples have been sent to the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency for final confirmation on whether the strain is highly pathogenic. The crucial results are expected later today, around 6:00 PM KST.

In a swift move to prevent the disease from spreading further, the Chungcheongnam-do provincial government has issued a 36-hour province-wide standstill order for all laying hen farms and related industries. The order, effective until 11:00 PM on Sunday, April 6th, restricts the movement of poultry, eggs, feed, and personnel.

The infected flock at the Cheonan farm will be culled using a rendering process, a method chosen to minimize the risk of environmental contamination. Thorough cleaning and disinfection of the farm premises will follow immediately.

A 10-kilometer radius around the affected farm has been designated as a high-risk control zone. Within this zone, intensive surveillance and testing will be carried out on all 28 poultry farms and 11 related facilities to detect any potential further spread of the virus.

Lee Jeong-sam, Director of the province's Agriculture and Livestock Bureau, emphasized the government's commitment to containing the outbreak. "We are deploying all available administrative resources to prevent further transmission," Director Lee stated. He also urged poultry farmers to actively cooperate with the enhanced biosecurity measures, including the establishment of additional farm outposts, the deployment of dedicated veterinary officers, and the utilization of designated transshipment points for feed and eggs.

This latest detection in Cheonan adds to the growing concerns over avian influenza outbreaks across South Korea this winter. The nationwide count of confirmed highly pathogenic avian influenza cases in poultry farms now stands at 43. Other affected regions include Jeollabuk-do (11 cases), Chungcheongbuk-do (7), Jeollanam-do (5), Gyeonggi-do (4), Sejong (4), Gyeongsangbuk-do (2), Gyeongsangnam-do (2), Incheon (1), and Gangwon-do (1).

The repeated outbreaks underscore the challenges in controlling the highly contagious avian influenza virus, particularly during the colder months. Authorities are urging strict adherence to biosecurity protocols on all poultry farms to mitigate the risk of future infections. 1  The agricultural sector remains on high alert as the final confirmation of pathogenicity from the national authorities is awaited.

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