Sejong City Health and Environment Research Institute Holds Second Half Regional Surveillance Council to Gather Opinions

Discussion on Measures to Prevent and Block the Introduction of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza

The Livestock Infectious Disease Regional Surveillance Council is currently in progress.
Photo by Sejong City Health and Environment Research Institute

The Sejong City Health and Environment Research Institute held the Livestock Infectious Disease Regional Surveillance Council for the second half of this year on September 25 in the institute's conference room, where participants discussed measures to prevent and block the introduction of avian influenza.

The council, held on this day, focused on discussing response measures and improvements to the testing system in the event of avian influenza outbreaks in neighboring areas, taking into account the occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, on September 12, which happened before the migratory bird season.

The council is a public-private consultative body composed of 22 members, including representatives from the Animal Hygiene Testing Laboratory, the Veterinary Association, and livestock organizations. It operates to collect and analyze regular disease outbreak information and to gather opinions for establishing preventive measures.

Based on the discussions, the council members agreed to propose improvements to on-site quarantine activities to the Central Surveillance Council and to strengthen the proactive response system for livestock infectious diseases by introducing an efficient surveillance and inspection system.

They also discussed ▲measures for blocking and quarantining due to the occurrence of brucellosis among traded livestock ▲cooperation for comprehensive testing following mass vaccination against foot-and-mouth disease ▲and suggestions from producer organizations.

Jung Kyongyong, Director of the Health and Environment Research Institute, stated, "Sejong City suffered significant damage from highly pathogenic avian influenza last winter. We will do our best to develop measures to block the introduction of livestock infectious diseases by incorporating the expert opinions gathered at the council."