Quarantine authorities and relevant ministries have reviewed their management of high-risk groups and joint response systems in preparation for the possibility of human infection from avian influenza (AI). The move aims to strengthen a "One Health"-based response that manages animals and humans together, following a series of mammal and human infection cases reported abroad recently.
The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) and the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency said they held the "First Zoonotic Disease Task Force Meeting of 2026" on Tuesday to discuss the AI human infection response system and inter-ministerial cooperation. At the meeting, AI was selected as the key agenda item in consideration of the recent global spread of avian influenza to mammals and reports of some human infection cases.
Participants shared domestic and overseas outbreak status to prepare for the possible emergence of new strains through viral recombination and mutation, and reviewed the response system for AI human infection, which has not yet occurred in Korea. In particular, discussions focused on measures to identify workers at high risk of infection in advance and to strengthen information-sharing systems between the human and animal sectors.
The government also shared the implementation status of the Second Zoonotic Disease Management Plan (2023-2027) and the results of a cross-ministerial simulation exercise. It discussed One Health-based cooperation measures, including the national surveillance program at the animal stage, the advancement of joint epidemiological investigation manuals, and the expansion of joint symposiums among research institutions.
"Because zoonotic diseases can lead to the risk of human infection when they occur in animals, information sharing between ministries and a swift joint response are important," KDCA Commissioner Lim Seung-kwan said. "We will strengthen the One Health-based cooperation system to respond to various infectious disease risks."
