April 17, 2008

 

South Korea sends 200 soldiers to slaughter poultry with bird flu

 

 

South Korea on Wednesday dispatched 200 soldiers to chicken farms to slaughter poultry infected with bird flu, as the government confirmed another outbreak.

 

The Defense Ministry dispatched the troops to chicken farms in Gimje, about 260 kilometers south of Seoul, a ministry official said.

 

The Defense Ministry will dispatch additional troops to other poultry farms if they ask for it, he added.

 

The move came as the Agriculture Ministry also confirmed the 12th outbreak of the deadly bird flu virus Wednesday since the country's first outbreak in a year broke out two weeks ago in Gimje.

 

Korean government tests confirmed the latest outbreak at a chicken farm in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of Seoul, was caused by the deadly H5N1 virus, Agriculture Ministry spokesman Yoon Young-ku said.

 

About 2.2 million poultry have been culled since the outbreak two weeks ago as the disease has spread to other farms in the city and other areas, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

 

The ministry said it has not counted how many chickens have been infected with and died of the disease.

 

The Agriculture Ministry issued a nationwide high alert Wednesday to prevent the disease's further spread, ministry spokesman Yoon said.

 

At least 239 people worldwide have died from bird flu since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected poultry.

 

The disease is relatively difficult for humans to catch, but health authorities fear it could mutate into a form that is easily spread among humans, which could cause a flu pandemic.