South Korea fights new bird flu outbreak
Pastor Dale Morgan
South Korea fights new bird flu outbreak*
* Story Highlights
* All poultry in Seoul killed to curb the spread of bird flu
following a new outbreak
* Quarantine officials destroyed 15,000 chickens, ducks, pheasants
and turkeys
* Tests under way to determine whether the outbreak was caused by
the H5N1 virus
* Bird flu began sweeping southern parts of the country last month
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korean officials said Monday they have
killed all poultry in Seoul, the capital, to curb the spread of bird flu
following a new outbreak of the disease in the city.
South Korean quarantine officials capture chickens to slaughter at a
poultry farm in Seoul.
Quarantine officials destroyed 15,000 chickens, ducks, pheasants and
turkeys raised in farms, restaurants, schools and homes in the capital,
said Kim Yoon-kyu, a Seoul Metropolitan Government official.
The Seoul government said the slaughter was necessary to contain the
disease. It said it will now focus on preventing live poultry from being
brought into the capital.
The slaughter began Sunday night, hours after authorities confirmed
Seoul's second outbreak of bird flu in less than a week.
The slaughter did not affect parrots, parakeets and canaries because
they have little chance of spreading the disease, Kim said.
Government tests were under way to determine whether the outbreak was
caused by the virulent H5N1 virus, said Kim Chang-seop, an official at
the Agriculture Ministry. He said test results would be available as
early as Monday night.
On Monday night, government tests confirmed the latest outbreak in Seoul
was caused by the deadly H5N1 virus, said Yoon Young-ku, a spokesman at
the Agriculture Ministry.
The tests also confirmed two additional outbreaks of the virus in Busan,
bringing to 31 the total number of outbreaks in South Korea, he said.
Bird flu began sweeping southern parts of the country last month for the
first time in more than a year, forcing the slaughter of about 6.8
million birds.
The virus remains hard for people to catch, but scientists worry it
could mutate into a form that spreads more easily between humans, with
the potential to kill millions worldwide.
Worldwide, at least 241 people have died from bird flu since 2003,
according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been
linked to contact with infected poultry.