First Detection of Highly Pathogenic AI in Wild Birds at Suncheon Bay... Nationwide Alert Raised to "Serious"

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) has been detected for the first time this winter in wild birds at Suncheon Bay in South Jeolla Province. The government has raised the nationwide alert to the highest level, “Serious,” and activated an emergency interagency quarantine system.

The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said on October 20 that tests on wild bird droppings collected at Suncheon Bay on October 12 detected an H5 strain of highly pathogenic AI virus. The specific N subtype is expected to be confirmed in three to five days after additional testing, including gene sequencing.

The detection comes as migratory birds begin arriving in Korea for the winter and cases of highly pathogenic AI infection in wild birds are increasing overseas. From January to August this year, 2,957 cases were detected in wild birds overseas, more than twice the 1,432 cases recorded during the same period last year.

The government raised the nationwide alert from “Caution” to “Serious” today and activated the Central Disaster Management Headquarters for Avian Influenza. Local governments nationwide were also instructed to set up situation rooms at their response headquarters and maintain a 24-hour emergency response system.

Access to a layer farm in Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, where a case of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed last year, is restricted. Yonhap News Agency

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will impose movement controls, conduct detailed testing and carry out telephone monitoring at poultry farms within a 10-kilometer radius of the detection site. It will designate the area within 3 kilometers of the Suncheon Bay waterfront as a special management zone, restricting the entry and movement of people and vehicles, and plans to conduct intensive disinfection at poultry farms and livestock-related facilities nationwide for the next week. The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment has also begun special surveillance within a 10-kilometer radius of the detection site, including searches for dead wild birds and detailed surveys of migratory birds. It has asked the local government with jurisdiction to take emergency quarantine measures, including disinfecting the site and restricting access.

The government urged the public to refrain from visiting migratory bird habitats and to avoid contact with wild birds when visiting. Anyone who finds a dead wild bird or a bird displaying unusual behavior should not touch or move it, but should report it to the local government or other relevant authorities. Poultry farmers were asked to prevent outsiders and vehicles from entering their farms, disinfect daily, and immediately report suspected symptoms, such as an increase in bird deaths or a decline in egg production, to quarantine authorities.

Lee Dong-sik, Director of the Biosecurity Policy Bureau, said, “With highly pathogenic AI confirmed in wild birds, the risk of an outbreak at poultry farms has increased,” urging poultry farmers and livestock industry workers to maintain thorough biosecurity measures.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.