November 29, 2006

China bans poultry from South Korea

China banned the import of poultry from South Korea in six provinces to prevent an outbreak of bird flu from spreading across its borders.

Agriculture and quarantine officials were ordered to increase scrutiny of cross-border cargo in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.

South Korea has reported two outbreaks since Nov 25, its first in three years, fueling concern that the virus may spread through North Asia.

Government departments should step up preventive measures against the H5N1 virus, including stopping imports of poultry products,' China's agriculture ministry said in imposing the poultry ban on provinces closest to South Korea.

Authorities are monitoring the H5N1 bird-flu strain, which threatens to mutate into a form that's easily spread among humans.

Bird flu yesterday killed about 200 chickens at a farm in South Korea's southwestern city of Iksan, about 3 kilometers from a farm where an H5N1 outbreak was confirmed on Nov. 25,

The first outbreak in South Korea in December 2003 prompted the slaughter of about 5.3 million poultry, worth 150 billion won (US$161 million).

China has had 10 bird-flu outbreaks in poultry this year in seven provinces, with 47,000 fowl dying from the disease and 2.94 million birds culled, China's Chief Veterinary Officer Jia Youling said.