Seoul, Jan 25 (IANS): South Korea reported another case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (AI) at a duck farm in the central region, raising the total cases to 29 for the season, authorities said.

The new case was detected at a poultry farm in Jincheon, North Chungcheong Province, according to the central disaster management headquarters for AI outbreaks, reports Yonhap news agency.

Authorities said they are monitoring some 32 duck farms located within the quarantine area of the infected farm to prevent further spread.

South Korea has also placed an import ban on German pork, following an outbreak of highly contagious foot-and-mouth (FMD) disease in the European nation. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said the decision was made after Germany reported its first FMD case since 1988.

FMD is one of the most infectious diseases for cloven-hoofed animals, such as cattle and pigs, and can spread rapidly if uncontrolled, reports Yonhap news agency.

Meanwhile, Japan is experiencing a surge of avian influenza outbreaks, with approximately five million chickens and other birds culled across five prefectures this month.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed new outbreaks at two poultry farms in Morioka City this week, prompting the establishment of an on-site response headquarters in Iwate Prefecture.

In total, 26 outbreak sites have been identified this month, with nearly 5 million birds impacted. The ministry warned that the outbreaks showed no signs of slowing and the situation may worsen, potentially breaking past records.

The ministry also noted the impact on egg prices, reporting a 15-per cent increase since the start of the year, Xinhua news agency reported.

H5N1 influenza is a flu that normally spreads between sick poultry, but it can sometimes spread from poultry to humans, and its symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, and severe respiratory illness.