(Cheonan=Yonhap News) Reporter Yu Uiju = On the 10th, the city of Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, announced that it is activating its Disaster Safety Headquarters to prevent the spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) after the detection of AI antigens in poultry farms, following the detection in wild birds. The city held a working meeting with the Ministry of the Interior and Safety and the Disaster Safety Headquarters in the afternoon to review disease control measures. The meeting, chaired by Lee Myeong-yeol, Director of the Agricultural Environment Bureau, discussed the current status and future plans to minimize AI damage. Following the detection of the H5N1 AI virus in wild bird feces collected from Pungse-myeon Pungsecheon on the 3rd of last month, H5 antigens were confirmed in a poultry farm in Jiksan-eup on the 9th. Accordingly, the city has restricted livestock movement and controlled the entry and exit of people and vehicles, and has taken initial disease control measures such as disinfection. Approximately 33,000 poultry in the affected farm were culled and their remains were disposed of. A 10-kilometer radius around the reported farm has been designated as a surveillance area, and emergency surveillance and movement restrictions are being implemented for 2,277,000 poultry in 26 farms within the surveillance area. If no additional cases occur, a detailed examination will be conducted on the poultry in these farms by January of next year, and a decision on lifting the movement restrictions will be made. The city has decided to operate the Disaster Safety Headquarters 24 hours a day until the situation is resolved. Checkpoints have been established to control access to migratory bird arrival sites to prevent AI infection, preventing livestock vehicles and workers from entering, and prohibiting fishing activities and contact with wild migratory birds. Pivotal disinfection facilities are operating at the provincial borders in Mokcheon-eup, Byeongcheon-myeon, and Seonghwan-eup, and checkpoints are also operating in poultry farming concentration areas such as Yongjeong and Gasong Complex. A task force for AI human infection countermeasures has been formed to manage the entry and exit of participants in the culling at checkpoints and to guide and check human infection prevention methods on site. Acting Mayor Kim Seok-pil said, "Given the recent nationwide outbreaks of highly pathogenic AI in wild birds and poultry farms, we will focus all administrative efforts on surveillance and disease control," and asked farmers to strictly follow disease control guidelines.