April 4, 2008
 

H5N1 revisits South Korea
 

The bird flu that has killed poultry in a South Korean poultry farm has been confirmed as the virulent H5N1 virus strain.

The outbreak occurred at a farm in Gimje, 260 kilometres south of Seoul. Detailed tests conducted at the farm had identified the virus strain as H5N1 and authorities are planning to cull about 308,000 chickens and destroy all eggs from seven farms within 500 metres of the infected farm's area in a bid to contain the disease.

The ministry had also imposed restrictions on the transportation of poultry within a 10-kilometre radius.

About 2,400 chickens had died in the Gimje farm in the past one week, and the owner on Monday had reported the deaths to the health authorities, which sealed off the area and restricted poultry movements to and fro the farm as well as to 12 nearly farms.

The last H5N1 attack in South Korea occurred on November 2006 to March 2007, resulting in a temporary restriction on poultry exports.

South Korea had only regained its bird flu free status from the World Organisation for Animal Health last June.