December 13, 2003

 

 

Suspected Bird Flu Cases in South Korea

 

South Korean veterinary experts are carrying out tests on chickens at a farm near its capital Seoul for suspected cases of a highly contagious type of bird flu, which can in the case of certain strains be deadly to humans.

 

The results of final tests would be released next week and, if confirmed, it would be the first cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in South Korea, the agriculture ministry said in a statement released today.

 

"The National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service test showed suspected cases of avian influenza in chickens," the statement said.

 

"According to the quarantine experts, it is highly possible for this case to be highly pathogenic influenza," it added.

 

As a precautionary measure, Korean authorities had destroyed all the remaining 5,000 chickens at the affected farm, which is about 80 km (50 miles) southeast of Seoul, the statement said. Between December 5 and 11 some 19,000 chickens had died out of a total of 24,000, it added.

 

In rare instances, strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza can be lethal to humans. Bird flu killed six people in Hong Kong in 1997, and another man this year.

 

"It is too early to say it is HP avian influenza but, if it is, it would be Korea's first case," an official at the ministry told Reuters by telephone.

 

South Korea's poultry industry has 100 million chickens mainly for local consumption with little in the way of exports, official data showed.

 

Since 1996, South Korea has only recorded cases of low pathogenic avian influenza.

The ministry said it would monitor neighbouring farms within a 10 km (six mile) zone around the affected farm.

 

Earlier this year, the Netherlands, the world's fourth-largest poultry exporter, slaughtered around 26 million birds at some 250 farms to contain an outbreak of avian influenza that was first discovered in February.

 

The disease also spread to neighbouring Belgium and Germany, though on a lesser scale than in the Netherlands. All the above-mentioned three countries have resumed poultry exports.