South Korea has culled nearly 22 million birds in two months: Reports

Amid the reports of an avian influenza outbreak, South Korea has culled nearly 21.7 million birds since late November, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported, citing the Ministry of Agriculture, food and Rural Affairs. South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed that the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of avian influenza had spread across farms in the country’s central west. According to the sample deleted in Cheonan-si, Chungcheongnam-do, a district located 84km (52.2 miles) central west of capital Seoul, wild birds in southwestern North Jeolla province had contracted the contagious pathogen, which spread further. In a statement to the state-run press, Agriculture Ministry Kim Hyeon-soo had called the situation “grave” and ordered the culling of the birds and disinfecting of the farmyards. He cited that migratory birds as a source of infection. 

According to a report published by news agency, ANI Should have confirmed a total of 72 cases, with the most recent traced back at an egg farm in Hwaseong, south of Seoul. The country activated the bird flu alert level to “most dangerous” and the government instructed to cull all the birds within 2 miles from the infected farm and halt all activities related to the production of goods within a 6-mile radius for at least a month. The recent measures against the production of eggs and other chicken-related products at the farmyards pushed the prices of eggs by 24.8 per cent last week, and spiked chicken prices by 14.9 per cent, while the duck meat turned most expensive surging by 18.1 per cent in costs.

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Minks culled

Meanwhile, the highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N8 strain similar to one described by Korea was detected in Germany that the country feared was widely spread by wild birds migrating within farming networks. In India, meanwhile, bird flu in poultry has been confirmed so far in nine States and in 12 States for the crow, migratory and wild birds. As of January 24 outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird flu) were confirmed across 9 states, as per the PTI report. 

Earlier, similarly, Denmark’s prime minister Mette Frederiksen announced that the government would cull close to 15 million minks in Danish farms, to minimize the risk of mutated coronavirus spread to humans. As many as 12 people in the northern part of Denmark were infected with mink coronavirus. Health Minister Magnus Heunicke was reported saying by AP that at least half the 783 human COVID-19 cases in northern Denmark ”are related” to mink. “It is very, very serious,” Frederiksen said. “Thus, the mutated virus in minks can have devastating consequences worldwide,” he said ordering culling of minks in the farmyards. 

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