#11,199
After witnessing the remarkable spread of new and existing HPAI H5 avian viruses (H5N1, H5N6, H5N8, H5N2, etc) around the world in 2014 and the first half of 2015, many previously hard hit regions have gotten a bit of a reprieve this winter.
Taiwan continues to struggle with outbreaks, as does Egypt, Nigeria, and parts of China. And we've seen scattered reports of outbreaks in Indonesia, Ghana, and Côte d'Ivoire.
But noticeably absent have been outbreaks in Europe, Japan, North America and Korea - all areas that saw significant avian flu activity over the previous two years. No one is complaining, but why we're seeing this lull - and how long it will last - are unknown.
Today, however, South Korea - which was the site of the first major outbreak of the recently emerged H5N8 virus just over two years ago - reports their first bird flu outbreak since November of 2015.
This report from the Korean Herald doesn't mention the strain, but HPAI H5 is the most likely culprit.
S. Korea confirms new bird flu case
Updated : 2016-03-26 14:53
South Korea confirmed a new case of bird flu on Saturday, the first outbreak in about five months.
The Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said ducks at a poultry farm in Icheon, 80 kilometers east of Seoul, have tested positive for the virulent strain of avian influenza (AI).
All 10,900 ducks were culled as a precautionary measure, and the farm has been under quarantine to prevent the virulent virus from spreading, according to the ministry.
South Korea has not reported any additional confirmed cases of avian influenza (AI) since November last year.
(Yonhap)
