Disease

Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – update

The National Health and Family Planning Commission of China notified WHO of 16 additional laboratory-confirmed cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus.

Bird Flu in South Korea

South Korea says migratory birds were the likely cause of the country’s first outbreak of bird flu in three years, and stepped up quarantine measures at domestic poultry farms to stop the spread of the disease.

A quarantine vehicle sprayed disinfectant on Daedong Lake in South Jeolla Province, South Korea, Jan. 19 after the discovery of dead migratory birds in a reservoir in North Jeolla Province.

Tests showed the remains of 100 dead migratory wild ducks in a local reservoir contained H5N8 avian influenza virus, the same strain found at poultry farms in North Jeolla Province near the reservoir, the agriculture ministry said in a statement.

“The wild migratory birds were presumably the very likely source of the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus that had affected the duck farms in Gochang and Buan [in North Jeolla Province,]” about 300 kilometres (187 miles) and 280 kilometres southwest of Seoul respectively, the ministry said in its statement.

Since the outbreak was reported last week, Korean authorities have culled more than 90,000 ducks at six poultry farms–two farms that had poultry that tested positive for avian influenza, and another four nearby.

Another slaughter was underway at a third duck farm in Buan, which reported a suspected case of bird flu, authorities said Monday.