(Seoul=Yonhap News) Reporter Lee Jae-young = The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment announced on the 27th that it will increase the number of monitoring points for avian influenza (AI) by 10 to 102 this winter, up from last winter, and extend the monitoring period by one month until April to prevent the spread of AI.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment also plans to increase the number of winter bird census points to 200, up by 50, and add two more surveys in February and March next year, bringing the total to 10 surveys.
This reflects the trend of winter migratory birds arriving in the country later due to climate change.
According to the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, 629,341 migratory birds were observed in the country this month. If only the 150 points where the survey was conducted last year are considered, it is 535,343 birds, a decrease of 26.3%.
The Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment explained that "the stable wintering period is from December to January, and currently only some ducks have arrived" and "it is expected that they will continue to arrive in the country until early December."
As the highly pathogenic AI virus was detected for the first time this winter in a wild peregrine falcon in Hokkaido, Japan, on the 15th, the possibility of highly pathogenic AI occurring in the country has increased.
This year, the highly pathogenic AI virus was detected in mammals for the first time in the country in March, and there have been many "abnormal phenomena" such as AI occurring in poultry in the summer, contrary to the common belief that winter migratory birds carry AI, leading to concerns that AI is becoming endemic.