Poultry farm near Seoul cleared of avian influenza

Samples from a poultry farm in the city of Gimpo, west of Seoul, tested negative for avian influenza viruses, city officials said Monday, amid a widespread outbreak of the avian influenza in the country's southwestern duck farming region.
A quarantine official disinfects an ambulance in the vicinity of a layer chicken farm in the city of Pocheon, northeast of Seoul, on Jan. 4, 2018, where the quarantine authorities confirmed an outbreak of an avian influenza virus. (Yonhap)
A quarantine official disinfects an ambulance in the vicinity of a layer chicken farm in the city of Pocheon, northeast of Seoul, on Jan. 4, 2018, where the quarantine authorities confirmed an outbreak of an avian influenza virus. (Yonhap)

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said suspected avian influenza (AI) was reported at the farm in Gimpo. The farm, which has 500 chickens, said 10 of them died the previous day.

The government has imposed a 24-hour standstill order on poultry, equipment and livestock breeders in Gyeonggi and Incheon, ending Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Since the first outbreak of highly pathogenic AI in November, South Korea has confirmed 11 bird flu cases and culled 1.46 million ducks and chickens. Except for one confirmed case in Gyeonggi Province, all other outbreaks have been confined to Jeolla Province, a major duck farming region. Source from the Yonhap.

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