December 30, 2009

South Korea finds low pathogenic bird flu in ducks

The low pathogenic bird flu type H5N2 has been detected on a duck farm in South Korea.

The duck farm in Chung Chong-Namdo holds 26,800 ducks of which 40 birds were found to be positive for H5N2. The source of the infection could not be established.

The ducks were all culled and 176,000 eggs kept in the farm were destroyed, with the procedures for burial and burning completed on December 26.

Trace-back investigation of epidemiologically-related farms and enhanced surveillance on neighbouring farms are underway.

A duck from South Jeolla Province was also recently found infected with the low-pathogenic H7N2 virus. As a result, Japan's Agriculture Ministry has temporarily banned imports of Korean poultry products such as chicken.