Korea to implement year-round bird flu monitoring system
The ministry said the monitoring of migratory and resident wild birds will be carried out on a regular basis, and all chicken and duck farms are to be checked every quarter for both the virulent and less contagious strains of avian influenza.
The decision, reached at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, comes after quarantine authorities were caught off guard when an outbreak that began in early April swept through the country.
Korea previously maintained a heightened bird flu alert from November to March, when migratory birds stay in the country and weather conditions may contribute to the epidemic of the virus.
The government culled a record 8.46 million birds during the two-month outbreak at a cost of 264.1 billion won ($259.5 million). The state-run Korea Rural Economic Institute claimed in June that damages from the latest outbreak topped 630 billion won. The figure includes losses from an overall drop in poultry consumption.
The ministry said there will be special monitoring of all 2,300 duck farms in the country because ducks have longer incubation periods and were found to be the main cause of the spread of avian influenza, while chickens die more quickly from the illness.
이 보도자료는 The Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries가(이) 작성해 뉴스와이어 서비스를 통해 배포한 뉴스입니다.
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2005년 10월 13일 11:58