According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of South Korea, an outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza was reported in a small flock of less than 1,000 chickens and ducks.  The farm is located in Donghae in the northeastern quadrant of the nation.  This is the first case reported for the fall season and five months after the last diagnosed outbreak.

In previous years a pattern of initial isolation of H5N1 virus from migratory waterfowl was followed by sporadic outbreaks in free-range ducks and geese and then spread to large egg and broiler farms.

 Effective prevention will require vaccination as an adjunct to biosecurity that is in any event inoperative for free range flocks exposed to virus shed by waterfowl.