June 12, 2008

Bird flu outbreaks reported in North Korea

Bird flu has broken out near a North Korean military base in the first reported case of the disease in the country since 2005, a South Korean aid group said Wednesday (June 11, 2008).

The outbreak occurred last week near an air force base in Jongpyong county in South Hamgyong province, northeast of the capital Pyongyang, the Seoul-based private aid group Good Friends said, citing the North's quarantine authorities.

The case was first reported June 3, when several birds were found dead in a small mountain area near the military base, said the aid agency. There were no details on whether it was the highly contagious H5N1 virus.

South Korea's Unification Ministry said it could not immediately confirm the report.

Separately, dozens of magpies were found dead inside a political prison camp in Hwasong in North Hamgyong province, the aid group said. A prison camp official's 5-year-old child subsequently suffered a high fever and died, the group said. There was no way to confirm if the child caught a virus from the birds or to know what killed the child.

The Buddhist-affiliated group that sends food and other aid to the North also said two prisoners showed similar symptoms and three others were subsequently diagnosed with an unidentified virus.

The group has previously provided information on the North that has proven correct but does not provide information on its sources, out of fear they could face retribution.

The case prompted the authorities to quarantine people inside the prison camp and launched preventive measures, but they failed to identify the disease, said the aid agency. It had no details of measures taken.

The North's outbreak came after South Korea slaughtered 8.46 million chickens, ducks and other poultry in recent months to stem the spread of bird flu.

Bird flu was last known to have hit North Korea in 2005, leading to the killing of about 210,000 birds.