Public concerns are growing over the spread of avian influenza in South Korea. Quarantine authorities are on alert as the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed Monday that the virulent bird flu virus, or H5N1, killed ducks at a farm in Jeongeup, North Jeolla Province. The ministry said 6,500 ducks at the family-run farm, 268 kilometers south of Seoul, were culled and buried over the weekend.
The case is the second confirmed outbreak of the H5N1 strain of bird flu this year. The first case was reported at an egg farm in Gimje, 27 km north of Jeongeup, April 1. Quarantine officials slaughtered about 300,000 chickens within a 500-meter radius of the affected farm to prevent the spread of the highly contagious virus that could be transmitted to humans.
Despite tight quarantine measures, the avian influenza shows signs of spreading further to nearby areas. The outbreaks came 13 months after the virulent bird flu virus was last reported in the country in March 2007. What's worrisome is that these latest cases have occurred in April. The H5N1 strain usually appears during the time of migratory birds' movement in winter.
It is crucial to accurately pinpoint how the chickens and ducks came down with bird flu so that the government can prevent any recurrence. Quarantine officials are checking the health of 11 migrant workers from Mongolia, China and Vietnam who were working at the Gimje poultry farm. However, it is somewhat worrisome that the authorities are still having difficulty identifying the cause of infection.
What the government should also do is to help minimize the threat to poultry farmers by making an all-out effort to deal with the disease. The farmers have already begun to feel the pain of soaring feed prices amid runaway inflation in the prices of grain and animal feed around the world. Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have decided to ban imports of fresh chicken from South Korea following the bird flu outbreaks.
Government officials must not forget that a consumer scare regarding the influenza triggered a plunge in chicken sales in 2003, driving poultry farmers and chicken meat processors out of business. The authorities ought to check the potential fallout of bird flu, especially when the economy shows signs of a slowdown. No one knows whether the unpredictable consequences of the avian influenza might worsen the risk of ``agflation.''
Last but not least, the authorities should do their best to prevent bird flu from finding its way to humans. According to international statistics, 258 people have so far been infected with avian influenza in 10 developing countries. Should such a case appear here it would no doubt tarnish the image of the nation and bring irrevocable damage to all sectors of society ― not only as regards health but also food safety, business, foreign trade and the economy as a whole.