Government Confirms Virulent Bird Flu
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter
The government said Monday it had confirmed that the avian influenza, which killed ducks at a farm in Jeongeup, was the H5N1 strain.
To prevent any further spread of the flu, authorities continued their quarantine efforts in the southwestern region. However, it is expected that poultry farms in the area will suffer damage from the epidemic.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said it had received a report that 700 chickens on a farm in Gobu, North Jeolla Province had died recently, and was investigating the cause.
The farm is located just three kilometers away from the duck farm where the outbreak was reported late last week.
Other farms contaminated by bird flu are in Gimje and Sunchang in the same vicinity.
The ministry has already culled 300,000 chickens and ducks at farms in Gimje and Jeongeup and is restricting the transport of poultry, equipment and vehicles used at the farms within a radius of 10 kilometers.
In the meantime, the ministry is investigating how the avian influenza is being spread. Previous cases occurred in winter, so the authorities suspect migratory birds might be the culprits as many are still here.