South Korea reports fresh bird flu outbreak in poultry
SEOUL, South Korea: A bird flu outbreak has struck a duck farm in central South Korea, an official said Thursday, but it was not immediately clear if it was caused by the H5N1 virus, which can be deadly to humans.
The outbreak occurred in Chonan, 92 kilometers (57 miles) south of Seoul, said an official with the city government. The case was first reported on Tuesday when 31 ducks died and was confirmed Thursday as a “highly pathogenic” bird flu, the official said, declining to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
It was the seventh bird flu outbreak reported in South Korea since November. The six previous outbreaks were confirmed to be the H5N1 virus.
Quarantine officials will immediately begin slaughtering over 55,000 poultry within the 3-kilometer (2-mile) radius of the outbreak site to stem the spread of the virus, the city official said.