SEOUL– South Korea has confirmed another case of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a chicken farm in a city just south of Seoul, authorities said Thursday.

The latest case of the H5N1 virus was found at a farm in Hwaseong, some 40 kilometers south of the capital, according to the Central Disaster Management Headquarters on highly pathogenic avian influenza.

This marks the 16th highly pathogenic bird flu case from a poultry farm in the country this autumn season.

Authorities said they also detected avian flu antigens of the H5 strain from a chicken farm in Pyeongtaek, 65 km south of Seoul, and a duck farm in Cheongju, 137 km south of the capital, with tests under way to confirm whether they are highly pathogenic cases.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza is very contagious among birds, and can cause severe illness and even death, especially in domestic poultry.

Source: Yonhap News Agency