North Chungcheong Province - Credit Wikipedia
#16,312
While the arrival date, and intensity, of avian influenza varies from year to year, this year's outbreak in South Korea comes nearly 3 weeks earlier than the first outbreak of the fall/winter of 2020-2021 (see South Korean Outbreak In Poultry).
First today's (translated) announcement, followed by a (translated) statement from South Korea's CDC on preventing human infection with this virus.
2021.11.11 11:37:42 Quarantine Policy Bureau
· The Central Disaster Management Headquarters for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (Director Kim Hyun-soo, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, hereinafter Jungsu-bon) announced on November 11 (Thursday) that additional highly pathogenic avian influenza was confirmed at a duck farm in Eumseong, Chungbuk (about 23,000).
* The relevant farm is a farm within the Bangjeon-dong (3km) of Metsu-ri farm in Eumseong, Chungcheongbuk-do, which occurred on November 9, and is identified as highly pathogenic avian influenza during the Japanese colonial rule
○ The Central Disaster and Safety Headquarters is carrying out enhanced preventive measures such as preventive killing of farms that have occurred, control of access to farms, and intensive disinfection.
An official from the Central Investigation Division emphasized, "In order to prevent the outbreak and spread of livestock epidemics, it is important for farmers to pay attention to the efforts of the government, local governments, and related agencies, and to comply with quarantine rules."
○ In poultry farms all over the country, I strongly warned them to carry out the four-step disinfection of the farm, including (1) the application of quicklime on the access road to the farm, (2) the daily cleaning and disinfection of the inside of the farm, (3) the replacement of boots and the disinfection of the hand when entering the livestock farm, and (4) the daily disinfection of the inside of the livestock farm with a thorough awareness that I will protect them.
In addition, it was emphasized that "it is most important to report to the quarantine authorities immediately when checking whether there are any abnormalities such as death and decrease in the scattering rate in the breeding poultry."
Although the risk of exposure to HPAI H5Nx viruses for the general public is likely very low, during culling and disposal operations poultry workers are more likely to be exposed to large quantities of the virus, and for extended periods of time.
After the revelation last February from Russia that 7 poultry workers were (mildly) infected with HPAI H5N8, even the European H5 viruses (which also circulate in Asia) are considered potentially zoonotic.
Today, South Korea's CDC has issued guidelines for poultry workers to help prevent them from becoming infected (PPEs, Prophylactic antivirals, etc.), and monitoring procedures for their health and safety.
Measures are being taken to prevent human body infection in the wake of the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI)
Last Modified Date 2021-11-11 Contact Information of Press Response Team 2021-11-11 Central Quarantine Task Force 043-719-9133359
Measures are being taken to prevent human body infection in the wake of the outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI)
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◇ The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dispatched to the site of the killing of on-site response personnel (9th) and continue to implement measures to prevent human infection
◇ Compliance with human infection prevention rules and prompt health authorities to report any suspected symptoms immediately;
- For the general public, personal hygiene products such as refraining from visiting livestock farms and migratory birds, hand washing, etc.
- Wearing protective clothing, taking antiviral drugs, and vaccinating seasonal influenza vaccines for high-risk groups of AI-infected farms
· The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that the outbreak of the H5N1 type of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI*) occurred in poultry (quail) in Eumseong-gun, Chungbuk.
○ On-site response personnel were immediately dispatched (November 9, 21) to strengthen the prevention of AI human infections in central and local governments and to take measures to prevent AI human infections in farms where the slaughter was carried out.
* Avian Influenza (AI): A virus that is infected with poultry such as wild birds, chickens, ducks, etc., and does not normally infect humans, but it occurs intermittently to humans beyond the interspecies barrier (no domestic cases of avian influenza human infection)
○ On-site response personnel supported the activities of the AI human infection task force in Eumseong-gun, Chungcheongbuk-do, such as providing antiviral drugs and personal protective equipment to high-risk groups such as farm workers, slaughter participants, and response personnel, vaccination against seasonal influenza (non-vaccinated persons), and education on personal hygiene rules.
○ In addition, if the respiratory symptoms such as fever, muscle pain, and cough occur within 10 days after participating in the killing, it is requested to report to the public health center immediately, while actively monitoring and reporting AI human infection patients to the medical institution within the jurisdiction.
· As the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs raised the caution level to 'serious' on November 1 by the outbreak of H5N1 type highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) in wild birds in Cheonan, Chungnam.
○ Since November 2, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has established a "central headquarters for AI human infection" and operates a 24-hour work system through the General Situation Room (EOC).
○ The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and the National Wildlife Disease Management Service said they share information in real time and maintain an emergency contact network.
○ In addition, the National Institute of Health and Environment is prepared to conduct an immediate inspection when a patient suspected of AI infection occurs, while maintaining a treatment system so that he/she can be hospitalized in a state-designated inpatient treatment bed* when confirmed.
* 'As of November 21, 2011, negative pressure isolation beds are available: 240 beds in 35 medical institutions nationwide.
· The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed the importance of active cooperation among the public, among other things, to prevent human infections.
○ The general public urged to refrain from visiting livestock farms or migratory bird sanctuary and to thoroughly carry out personal hygiene, such as washing hands for more than 30 seconds.
○ High-risk groups, such as workers at farms that have reported AI, and participants in culling, should pay close attention to wearing personal protective gear and personal hygiene, should be thoroughly vaccinated against seasonal influenza, and should take antiviral drugs for a given period of time*.
* 7 days from last exposure
- If a fever, cough, or sore throat occurs within 10 days after participating in the work, it is requested to report immediately to the public health center or 1339 (24-hour call center of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
The director of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Jeong Eun-gyeong, explained the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic AI, saying, "The possibility of human infection is extremely low for ordinary people due to the low possibility of contact with wild birds or AI-producing farms.
○ Considering that 17 countries around the world have reported continuous human infections since 2003,
We will do our best to prevent any human body infection by closely cooperating with livestock quarantine and local governments for the high-risk group that has come into direct contact with bird flu, he said.
These are, admittedly, pretty much the same recommendations which many countries have used for years when dealing with culling avian flu infected poultry, and they have worked well to protect workers and the general public.
But as we saw yesterday, in DEFRA: Rapid Risk Assessment on Incursion of H5Nx HPAI, the continued evolution of these avian viruses means that their threat - and our tactics to avert them - could change over time.
