The government has confirmed another case of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus at a chicken farm in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province.

The provincial government said on Sunday that the H5N1 virus was confirmed at a farm raising about 54-thousand egg-laying chickens.

The province is culling about 286-thousand birds within a 500-meter radius of the farm as a preventive measure, while implementing other measures, including a standstill order. 

This is the eleventh confirmed case involving poultry farms after the year's first case was reported at a quail farm in Eumseong, North Chungcheong Province in early November. 

It also marks the third case involving an egg farm after the first such case of the year was confirmed in the area on December 3 and the second in Yeongam in South Jeolla Province on December 5. 

Authorities held an emergency meeting on Sunday and decided to launch a nationwide campaign to contain the highly contagious virus at egg farms until the end of January.