February 5, 2004

South Korea Confirms New Bird Flu Cases

South Korea confirmed on Thursday the spread of bird flu to ducks in two farms.  14,700 birds on the two affected farms were culled.

The latest infections, the first in 10 days, were found in Asian, 80 kilometers south of Seoul, the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry said in a news release.

The government didn't say how many ducks were infected.

Hygiene authorities detected the outbreak after the two farms reported that their ducks were laying far fewer eggs than usual.

So far South Korea has found 18 farms hit by the disease. Authorities have culled millions of chickens and ducks to contain the outbreak.

The ministry has urged farmers to be more vigilant against the deadly bird flu, advising them to limit contacts with outside vehicles and take vigorous antiseptic measures.

Those who fail to follow the guidelines will not benefit from government subsidies for affected farmers, it said.

Officials have said the bird flu hitting South Korean chicken and duck farms is genetically different from the virus that recently jumped to humans, killing several people in Vietnam and Thailand.

But it's still unclear whether the South Korean variety could spread to humans, they said. None of the 1,500 people believed to have been exposed to the flu in South Korea have shown signs of illness, they said.