May 13, 2008

South Korea stamps out all poultry in Seoul

South Korean officials on Monday said they have culled all poultry in Seoul to prevent the spread of bird flu.

Quarantine officials killed 15,000 poultry in farms, restaurants, schools and homes in the capital, according to Kim Yoon-Kyu, a Seoul metropolitan government official.

The slaughter is necessary to contain the disease, said the government, adding that it will now concentrate on preventing live poultry from entering Seoul.

The slaughter began on Sunday night (May 11, 2008), hours after authorities confirmed Seoul's second bird flu outbreak within a week. 

It is not yet confirmed whether the outbreak was caused by the virulent H5N1 virus but test results would soon be available, said agricultural ministry official Kim Chang-seop.