(Cheongju=Yonhap News) Reporter Jeon Chang-hae = Just a day after highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) was reported at a quail farm in Jincheon, North Chungcheong, suspected infections have emerged at farms in nearby Eumseong. According to North Chungcheong Province on the 23rd, a dead bird was discovered during a surveillance inspection at a laying hen farm in Wonnam-myeon, Eumseong-gun, the previous day. A field inspection by the provincial animal hygiene testing center detected H5 antigens suspected to be highly pathogenic AI. The results of the precise examination by the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency on whether it is highly pathogenic are expected in 1 to 3 days. The farm is located approximately 6 kilometers away from a laying hen farm in Goesan County where highly pathogenic AI was reported on the 16th. If the Eumseong farm is confirmed to have highly pathogenic AI, it will be reported as the fourth case of infection on farms this winter in the province, following cases in Yeongdong County's Jong-o-ri farm, Goesan County's laying hen farm, and Jincheon County's quail farm on the 17th of last month and the 21st, respectively. The quarantine authorities have decided to urgently deploy an initial response team to the suspected farm in Eumseong to control the entry and exit of people and vehicles, and to promptly cull approximately 85,000 chickens being raised. Furthermore, a 24-hour temporary suspension of movement has been ordered for laying hen farms and related businesses in Eumseong County and nearby areas including Chungju, Goesan, Jeungpyeong, and Jincheon. In addition, areas within a radius of 500 meters, 3 kilometers, and 10 kilometers from the suspected farm have been designated as control, protection, and surveillance areas, respectively, and movement restrictions and emergency surveillance will be implemented for 1.5 million poultry in 33 farms within the quarantine zone. Detailed examinations will also be conducted on poultry in these farms by the 26th. Furthermore, an animal quarantine officer has been urgently dispatched to Eumseong County to check the implementation of quarantine measures, and a total of 74 disinfection vehicles will be mobilized to intensively disinfect roads around the farm and areas near migratory bird arrival sites. Kim Won-seol, head of the Animal Quarantine Division of the provincial government, said, "Given the very serious situation of highly pathogenic AI occurring consecutively at poultry farms in the province recently," and urged poultry farms to follow quarantine guidelines such as two-step disinfection of entry and exit vehicles, wearing protective clothing and dedicated shoes to prevent the spread of AI.