POCHEON, South Korea -- A chicken farm in Gyeonggi Province reported a suspected case of avian influenza on Wednesday, prompting quarantine officials to impose a temporary ban on poultry transportation in the region.
The farm with 197,000 laying chickens in Pocheon, 45 kilometers north of Seoul, reported that about 30 birds have died since Tuesday, and the preliminary test showed that they were infected with AI, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said.
Quarantine officials imposed a 48-hour standstill order on poultry, equipment and livestock breeders in Gangwon Province and Cheorwon, east of Pocheon, the ministry said.
As part of preventive measures, the government will cull all remaining chickens and conduct inspections into farms within 3 kilometers of the affected region to prevent further spread of the highly contagious virus.