[Featured Stocks] Shinra SG and CJ Seafood Rise... Avian Influenza More Deadly Than Novel Coronavirus

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunseok Yoo] Shares of Shilla SG, Igle Vet, and CJ Seafood are on the rise. The news that the "deadly" H5N1 avian influenza has also broken out in Hunan Province, China, where confirmed cases and deaths from the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) are rapidly increasing, appears to be affecting stock prices. Hunan Province is located just below Hubei Province, where Wuhan is situated.

At 10:07 AM on the 3rd, Shilla SG was trading at 8,360 KRW, up 20.46% from the previous trading day. Igle Vet and CJ Seafood are also showing strong performance.

According to major foreign media, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of China announced that avian influenza broke out at a farm in Shuangqing District, Shaoyang City, Hunan Province. The ministry reported, "There were 7,850 chickens on the farm, of which 4,500 were infected and died."

The H5N1 virus, commonly known as avian influenza, was first discovered in geese in China in 1996. It causes severe respiratory disease in birds and is known to be transmissible to humans. The World Health Organization (WHO) states that human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 virus is very difficult but not entirely impossible. According to WHO, there have been a total of 861 cases of human infection with avian influenza from 2003 to 2019. Avian influenza is considered a fatal disease with a mortality rate exceeding 50%.