South Korea said Tuesday it has identified three more highly pathogenic bird flu cases from local poultry farms to raise the total caseload to 46.

Authorities said they have found the highly contagious H5N8 strain of avian influenza in Buan, 280 kilometers south of Seoul, and the central city of Sejong, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs.

Earlier in the day, South Korea also found another case from a duck farm in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul.

The ministry said it has issued a seven-day standstill order for all poultry farms within the newly infected areas.

South Korea has reported a series of avian influenza cases from poultry farms since late November.

The ministry said another suspected infection was reported at a duck farm in Eumseong, 131 kilometers south of the capital city.

Of the total reported farm-linked cases so far, Gyeonggi Province that surrounds Seoul accounted for 12, trailed by South Jeolla Province with 10.

South Korea has culled more than 13 million poultry according to the latest data provided Tuesday. The country culls birds within a 3-kilometer radius of infected farms.

The number of cases reported from wild birds, meanwhile, reached 52. (Yonhap)