South Korea's agricultural ministry said Monday it is looking into yet another suspected case of highly pathogenic bird flu linked to farms amid the prolonged fight against the disease.

The latest suspected case of a highly contagious H5N8 strain of bird flu was reported from an egg farm in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul, late Sunday, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

After reporting the first case at a farm in nearly three years in November 2020, the country has since identified 42 infections.

By region, Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul accounted for 12 cases, followed by South Jeolla Province with 10. North Jeolla Province also took up nine infections.

The number of poultry destroyed by local authorities reached 12.6 million as of Monday. Birds within a 3-kilometer radius of infected farms are culled under the local quarantine law.

South Korea has been suffering from a series of avian influenza cases from wild birds since October. So far, 49 cases have been reported from their habitats. Twelve other suspected cases are also under investigation.

Local authorities are vigilant as migratory birds are expected to continue fly into the country throughout this month, which may spread the disease to more poultry farms. (Yonhap)