S. Korea culls 13.6 million poultry as highly pathogenic bird flu cases near 50

SEOUL — South Korea’s agricultural ministry said Wednesday it has completed culling 13.6 million poultry as a preventive measure to cope with the rising number of highly pathogenic bird flu cases from local farms, with the total caseload approaching closer to 50.

Under the country’s quarantine guideline, all birds within a 3-kilometer radius of infected farms should be culled, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. They included 10.8 million chickens.

South Korea has so far found 46 cases of the highly contagious H5N8 strain of avian influenza from local farms since late November.

The ministry is looking into another suspected infection reported at a duck farm in Eumseong, 131 kilometers south of the capital city.

Of the total reported cases at farms so far, Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul has accounted for 12, trailed by South Jeolla Province with 10.

The number of cases reported from wild birds, meanwhile, reached 58. (Yonhap)