Dec 9, 2025 – South Korea reports its eighth highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) case at a duck farm in Yeongam, marking the season’s first duck‑farm outbreak and prompting a nationwide 24‑hour standstill on all duck farms and related vehicles; officials advise farmers to avoid migratory‑bird habitats and change shoes before entering barns[23].

Dec 10, 2025 – Two additional HPAI infections are confirmed at layer farms in Cheonan and Anseong, raising the season total to ten; an agriculture ministry official urges farms to “bolster quarantine measures” to prevent further spread[22].

Dec 15, 2025 – The 11th HPAI case emerges at a broiler breeder farm in Namwon; authorities deploy a response team, cordon off the site and impose a 24‑hour ban on livestock facilities and vehicles in nearby counties to contain the virus[21].

Dec 17, 2025 – Two new HPAI cases are detected at layer farms in Goesan and Cheonan, bringing the tally to 14; Cheonan now records four cases since 2020, and special quarantine inspections begin at the affected sites[20].

Dec 17, 2025 – Indian researchers use the BharatSim platform to model H5N1 spillover in a synthetic Namakkal village, finding that “quarantining households after detecting two cases could almost certainly contain the outbreak,” and that culling must occur before spillover to be effective[1].

Dec 21, 2025 – A 16th HPAI case is confirmed at a duck farm in Naju (≈23,000 ducks); officials launch intensive inspections at more than 200 duck farms across South Jeolla to assess transmission risk[19].

Dec 22, 2025 – The 17th HPAI case appears at a quail farm in Jincheon; the Central Disaster Management Headquarters tightens quarantine and vehicle checks while planning nationwide laying‑hen farm inspections through year‑end[18].

Dec 23, 2025 – Kerala’s Animal Husbandry Department confirms H5N1 in eight Alappuzha panchayats and four Kottayam villages; authorities order culling within a 1‑km radius of each site and a 10‑km movement ban, citing the open‑air duck farming in Kuttanad as a heightened risk[3].

Dec 24, 2025 – Three new HPAI cases are identified at farms in Anseong (chicken) and Gochang and Naju (ducks), raising the season total to 21; inspections extend to all duck farms in North Jeolla and to affiliated farms in the region[17].

Dec 24, 2025 – An avian‑flu outbreak hits Alappuzha and Kottayam, the seventh in the region in 11 years, killing ~55,000 birds; duck production falls from 10‑15 lakh to ~3 lakh annually, and officials note the lack of a nationwide migratory‑bird monitoring system[2].

Dec 25, 2025 – Retail egg prices top 7,000 won per carton as culling of ~3 million laying hens cuts national output by 3‑4 %; the agriculture ministry stresses that overall egg supply remains stable despite the price surge[16].

Dec 27, 2025 – A new HPAI case is confirmed at a chicken farm in Asan (≈21,000 birds), bringing the total to 23; entry is restricted and culling begins on site[15].

Dec 27, 2025 – Two further cases, including a chicken farm in Yeongam (≈33,000 birds), raise the season tally to 24; temporary standstill orders cover related facilities and farming vehicles[14].

Dec 29, 2025 – Two additional infections are reported at a duck farm in Eumseong and a chicken farm in Naju, pushing the count to 26; vehicle access restrictions are imposed at a Pyeongtaek chicken farm as part of tightened containment[13].

Jan 5, 2026 – South Korea rolls out special quarantine measures, dispatching inspectors to 539 layer farms (each with >50,000 hens) and intensifying road disinfection near migratory‑bird habitats; officials note that the H5N1 strain is “at least 10 times more infectious than in prior years”[11].

Jan 6, 2026 – The 33rd HPAI case is confirmed at Okcheon quail farm (≈500,000 birds), prompting a 24‑hour standstill for all chicken and quail operations in North Chungcheong and marking the first case there since Dec 2016[10].

Jan 6, 2026 – USDA’s APHIS estimates ~76,210 birds infected in the first six days of 2026, adding to ~880,000 cases in the prior 30 days; major outbreaks occur at large commercial sites in California, Kansas, North Carolina and Missouri[4].

Jan 7, 2026 – South Korea announces the import of 2.24 million U.S. fresh eggs—the first U.S. egg purchase since Jan 2024—to stabilize domestic egg prices amid culling of 4.32 million laying hens and more than 30 farm outbreaks this winter[9].

Jan 9, 2026 – The 34th HPAI case surfaces at a Naju duck farm (≈27,000 ducks); the government expands intensive inspections of breeder duck farms and hatcheries nationwide to detect cases early[8].

Jan 20, 2026 – South Korea confirms its 37th HPAI case at a Gokseong duck farm (≈27,000 ducks); officials deploy teams to 21 farms within a 10‑km radius and conduct checks at 60 affiliate duck farms to prevent wider spread[7].

Feb 17, 2026 – The 44th HPAI case is confirmed at a Pocheon chicken farm (≈380,000 birds), the first in the city since 2021; the government extends a twice‑daily disinfection program at migratory‑bird habitats, poultry farms and related vehicles through the end of February[6].