Bird Flu Scare Spreads Further
By Park Si-soo
Staff Reporter
Another possible bird flu case was reported Tuesday in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province. Quarantine authorities dispatched officials to the scene to collect samples to gauge its virulence, according to the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. This is the fifth avian influenza-suspected report this year. If authorities confirm this latest case was caused by H5N1 ― a strain of the virus that can also be deadly to humans, it would be the third bird-flu infection since the first bird-flu case reported on April 1 in Gimje, North Jeolla Province.
The ministry said it was investigating the poultry farm in question as its 430 ducks died together. This incident took place on a farm located only 2.7 kilometers away from the first outbreak.
As the epidemic spread, President Lee Myung-bak made an unscheduled visit to Jeongeup, Tuesday, asking quarantine officials to take comprehensive countermeasures to contain further spread. The Ministry of Public Administration and Security will provide an emergency subsidy of one billion won to the province.