March 15, 2005

North Korea reports new bird flu outbreak
 

Thousands of chickens reportedly died from bird flu in North Korea last month.

Emergency measures are currently being implemented following the outbreak of avian influenza at the chicken processing plant in the North's capital city of Pyongyang.

The facility is apparently one of the biggest chicken factories in North Korea.

Exact details on the bird flu verification test performed or whether the virus was the H5N1 strain were not clear.

North Korea had announced in 2004 that it was strengthening quarantine measures against bird flu following the outbreak of the virus in Southeast Asian countries, although no prior cases of the virus was detected in North Korea.

Bird flu has killed 33 people in Vietnam, 13 of them in the latest outbreak that began in December. A Cambodian woman died earlier this year; Thailand has had 12 deaths.