HPAI Seems To Spread To Neighboring Villages Of Umsong

HPAI Seems To Spread To Neighboring Villages Of Umsong. December. 19, 2003 23:16. by Jin-Hup Song Dong-Ki Sung jinhup@donga.com esprit@donga.com.

An area within a three-kilometer radius extending from the H farm in Umsong-gun, where HPAI, or highly pathogenic avian influenza, broke out for the first time earlier this month, has been designated as a danger zone. But, this time, a duck under suspicion of HPAI infection has also been found outside of that perimeter.

Since this revelation, anxiety has increased about the possibility of the disease, which has been confirmed as harmful to humans, spreading nationwide.

The Agriculture Ministry disclosed on December 19 that it detected a duck assumed to be infected with HPAI at two farms in Samjung-ri and Migok-ri, which are located 3.5 to four kilometers south of H farm.

These farms are within the caution area that was designated as between a three and 10-kilometer radius from H farm, adjacent to the danger zone where the government killed all chickens and ducks regardless of their infection status.

“Due to its peculiar features, when a duck catches HPAI, it doesn’t show any special symptoms immediately. But, because the owner of farm has reported a drop in the egg-laying ratio, we are conducting an inspection on the problematic farm,” said Kim Chang-seop, the chief of the livestock quarantine department of the ministry.

The ministry plans to kill 400,000 ducks bred in the caution area and bury them on the grounds if an additional occurrence of HPAI is reported in the area, and has decided to kill the chickens after watching the development of the disease spread.

If the problematic farm is confirmed to have the virus, the total number of damaged livestock in Umsong-gun will reach 600,000 when combined with the 205,000 ducks and chickens in the danger zone that have been killed or will be killed and buried in the near future.

In addition, if the chickens in the caution area are added to the death toll, the total damage will reach 1,870,000.

The ministry is anxious about the chance of HPAI spreading to other villages because of the slow process of slaughter and burial work, and has decided to increase its speed.

On the other hand, the Korea Poultry Association suggested to the Agriculture Ministry and Chungbuk province that the Chungju MBC journalists that violated the cattle epidemic prevention law when they came out of the farm without going through the decontamination process, should be dealt with by the courts.