Korea boosts quarantine efforts as AI spreads

Via Korea Herald :

" South Korea’s agriculture minister called for all-out efforts to prevent further outbreaks of avian influenza Tuesday, following a series of new suspected cases in areas close to the capital.

“The government has so far put its utmost efforts into preventing the spread of AI and eradicating the animal disease at an early date,” Lee Dong-phil, minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs, said at a press briefing.

Lee, however, noted that government efforts alone may not be enough. “We may be able to eradicate AI sooner if we all work together,” he said.

The minister asked poultry farm owners to continue their quarantine efforts and continue sterilizing their facilities to prevent any inflow of AI virus into their farms.

He also asked that people avoid visiting areas, such as reservoirs, that serve as homes for migratory birds, especially during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday that begins Thursday.

The government has pointed to migratory birds as the original source of bird flu after the virulent H5N8 strain of bird flu was identified in a group of wild ducks found dead on Jan. 17 at a reservoir near the duck farm that first reported AI."