By Saadet Gokce
ISTANBUL (AA) - Another case of highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected on Monday in South Korea’s Gyeonggi province, marking the fifth case since September.
The H5N1 bird flu was detected at a farm in Hwaseong city, approximately 60 kilometers (37 miles) south of Seoul, which has reported two other bird flu cases in the past five years, Yonhap News reported, citing the Central Disaster Management Headquarters.
Authorities will conduct special quarantine inspections at around 230 layer farms where bird flu cases previously occurred, while monitoring of vehicles visiting affected farms will also be expanded to prevent further spread of the disease.
"Recent bird flu outbreaks at poultry farms have been repeatedly confirmed in the southern Gyeonggi region, but with winter migratory birds beginning to arrive in the country and highly pathogenic AI cases being detected across wild birds in six different regions, there is a high risk of additional outbreaks anywhere in the country," Lee Dong-sik, an Agriculture Ministry official in charge of quarantine policies, said in a statement.
Lee urged poultry farm workers and related personnel nationwide to stay vigilant and strictly adhere to quarantine measures.