February 19, 2009
South Korean found bird flu antibodies in chickens; culls 20,100 birds
The South Korean government said on Wednesday (Feb 18) that it found bird flu antibodies in chickens raised in the southwestern part of the country and culled 20,100 birds as a precautionary measure.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MFAFF) said the antibodies were discovered during a nationwide screening process maintained throughout the year to deal swiftly with outbreaks.
It said the H5 and H7-type antibodies discovered on farms in Suncheon, Boseong and Gokseong were not live viruses that could spread, but tell-tale signs that the birds had been infected at one time.
MFAFF official said that judging from the fact that the birds survived, the infections were probably not from the virulent H5N1 strain, although it was decided to cull and bury the birds just in case.
Seoul heightened its bird flu monitoring this year after several virulent outbreaks were reported in neighbouring countries.
The country has been hit three times by bird flu, with the latest outbreak occurring in April, resulting in a record 8.46 million birds being culled at the cost of around US$180 million.
Other outbreaks took place in the winter months of 2003-04 and 2006-07.
