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<st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> confirms outbreak of H5N1 bird flu<o:p></o:p>
Case is the nation?s first in 3 years; ministry orders 236,000 poultry culled<o:p></o:p> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15890121/ <o:p></o:p>
Updated: 11:21 a.m. ET Nov 25, 2006<o:p></o:p>
<st1:City w:st="on">SEOUL</st1:City> - <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">South Korea</st1:place></st1:country-region> said on Saturday a bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm was caused by the highly virulent H5N1 strain of the virus, in the country's first case for three years of the infection that can kill humans.<o:p></o:p>
The Agriculture Ministry said earlier this week it suspected bird flu had killed 6,000 chickens at a farm in the southwest of the country that lies on a path for migratory birds.<o:p></o:p>
"It is the H5N1 strain," a ministry official said by telephone on Saturday, after test results.
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The ministry ordered the culling of 236,000 poultry within a 1,640-foot radius of the farm in North Cholla province about 100 miles from <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on">Seoul</st1:City></st1:place>, a ministry statement said.<o:p></o:p>
Quarantine authorities also banned the shipment of more than 5 million poultry from 221 farms within a 6.2-mile radius of the farm.<o:p></o:p>
No people appear infected
<o:p> </o:p>
There were no reports to suggest local residents or quarantine officials had been infected, another Agriculture Ministry official said by telephone.<o:p></o:p>
Between December 2003 and March 2004, about 400,000 poultry at South Korean farms were infected by bird flu.<o:p></o:p>
During that outbreak, the country culled 5.3 million birds and spent about $1.6 billion on preventing the disease spreading, officials said.<o:p></o:p>
Subsequent testing in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> indicated at least nine South Korean workers involved in the cull had been infected with the H5N1 virus, but none developed major illnesses.
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Since 2003, outbreaks have been confirmed in around 50 countries and territories, according to the World Organization for Animal Health.<o:p></o:p>
<st1:country-region w:st="on">North Korea</st1:country-region> had an outbreak at poultry farms near the capital <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Pyongyang</st1:place></st1:City> in February 2005, which led it to cull more than 200,000 chickens and vaccinate 1.1 million poultry.<o:p></o:p>
The World Health Organization said that by Nov. 13, there had been 258 cases of human infection of the H5N1 strain since 2003, killing 153 people. Many of the victims were Asians, with 98 deaths in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Vietnam</st1:country-region> and <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Indonesia</st1:country-region></st1:place>, WHO said.
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<o:p> </o:p>
(c) Reuters 2006. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by caching, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters and the Reuters sphere logo are registered trademarks and trademarks of the Reuters group of companies around the world
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After an H5N1 bird flu outbreak was confirmed by South Korean authorities, 236,000 poultry will be slaughtered in Iksan, about 145 miles south of the capital, Seoul. A strict quarantine has been established around the immediate vicinity of the affected area.
Alarm bells rang earlier on this week when 6,000 poultry suddenly died at a farm in Iksan. Authorities culled all poultry and eggs in the farm and imposed a 10 km quarantine around the area.
The last time South Korea had a bird flu outbreak was almost three years ago, when over five million birds were slaughtered.
Japan has suspended the imports of poultry from South Korea. People arriving to Japan from South Korea now have to have the soles of their shoes disinfected.
Scientists fear the H5N1 bird flu virus strain may mutate and become easily human transmissible. So far, it is difficult for humans to catch bird flu from birds, and even harder for infected people to infect others.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=600 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top align=left width=590 colSpan=4>Farmers Take Fright Over Bird Flu </TD></TR><TR><TD width=5></TD><TD vAlign=top width=360>By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
Farmers in North Cholla Province are scrambling to put up defenses after the health authorities found bird flu in dead chickens at a farm in Iksan, the country??s first outbreak since 2003.
Although the government urges calm over the discovery of bird flu, identified as the H5N1 strain that could be fatal to humans, there is mounting concern over public health safety and economic losses, since the area is the country??s largest poultry supplier.
Health officials and farm workers yesterday have begun culling about 236,000 chickens and chickens at six Iksan poultry farms in a bid to stave off the spread of the H5N1.
Authorities have banned the sale or transport of chickens from the area, and checkpoints have been setup to inspect trucks.
``We are planning to establish more checkpoints at traffic points and mountain roads connecting the villages with the help of the police and the military.
We are also deploying more quarantine workers to the area,???? said an official from the North Cholla Provincial Government, adding that authorities plan to double the current eight checkpoints surrounding the affected area soon.
``We hope that the bird flu outbreak in Iksan is an isolated case, but we are preparing for the worst case scenario,???? said the official.
An initial three kilometer quarantine zone was setup around the outbreak site in Iksan late Saturday, surrounded by a 10 kilometer surveillance zone, which covers more than 200 poultry farms in Iksan, Sochon and Kumgang.
Farmers in the affected areas are restricted from moving poultry, eggs and other products.
The farms within the surveillance zone raise more than 50 million chickens and ducks, and the economic costs could be around 150 billion won ($160 million) to 200 billion won should the farmers be forced to kill the birds.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry confirmed that the H5N1 bird flu virus was found in some 6,500 dead chickens at a farm in Iksan.
The potentially lethal H5N1 virus, the same type that hit the country in December of 2003, is an epidemic among birds that could mutate and spread to humans in direct contact with them.
The disease has claimed 151 lives around the world, mostly in Asia, since first emerging in Hong Kong in 2003, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The death toll accounts for more than half the people who were treated for H5N1 infections.
Symptoms range from fever, sore throat, cough, respiratory illnesses and possible organ failure.
This February, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that four quarantine workers, involved in culling operations on poultry farms after the bird flu outbreak in 2003, tested positive for the H5N1 virus.
However, none of the four suffered flu-liked symptoms or any other illnesses believed to be linked to bird flu, the state-run agency said.
During the last outbreak in 2003, health officials were forced to kill 5.3 million chickens at 19 poultry farms in South Chungchong Province, resulting in 1.5 billion won ($1.6 million) in economic losses.
Between December 2003 and March of the following year, domestic poultry consumption was down some 60 percent from normal levels.
The government is trying to downplay concerns over health, saying that it is safe to eat poultry meat that is cooked for more than five minutes at 75 degrees Centigrade and above.
"The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation
South Korea confirmed that the avian flu epidemic caused by the H5N1 highly pathogenic virus
2006 年 11 月 27 日 10:43 China Daily website
Global Online: November 25 South Korean Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry confirmed. North of the country Iksan City Road testing the bird flu epidemic was eventually diagnosed as caused by the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian flu virus. To control the epidemic, the South Koreans began to kill 25,26 within a radius of 500 meters of nearly 20 million chickens and even pigs. Dogs and other animals have also been implicated.
According to South Korean media reported on the 26th, according to the National Institute of Scientific Veterinary Quarantine Laboratory, South Korea Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on the 25th decided to affected areas within a radius of 500 meters of six farmhouses Lane all killed 236,000 chickens and ducks and other poultry. At 14:00 on the 25th, immunization of Iksan City Department policy focus of the first killed the two farms of more than 6,000 chickens and dogs. Meanwhile the destruction of the affected areas within a three kilometer radius of 6 million eggs and duck.
At 9:00 on the 26th, the focus of another 186,000 chickens within a radius of 500 meters were killed Meanwhile 577 of 300 pigs and dogs were also "lost." The Administration has provided 10 km radius of a bird flu epidemic area "warning area" to prohibit the movement of poultry and poultry, disinfect restricting access, and require the warning area, the poultry farmers to immediately declare its poultry apparent difference might arise. According to the authorities, a total of 221 family farms throughout the warning area, raising a total of more than 500 million chickens and ducks If the spread of the epidemic, they would be "ruthless."
This outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu occurred in the first 19 to 22 this month, Farm focus of the group's 6,000 chickens died in a few days. The test results showed that it is from December 2003 to April 2004 in South Korea 10 cities, Quite to the same type of avian influenza that has killed the 19 South Korean farms 5.3 million chickens and ducks. 1500 caused economic losses of 957 billion won.
Experts said that the human race had only direct contact with poultry with bird flu will be infected with avian flu, and, virus in temperatures above 75 degrees Celsius heat 5 minutes can be completely eliminated. So food cooked poultry system will not lead to the spread of avian flu. (Kang)
</TD></TR><TR><TD class=theme_text vAlign=top align=left>The Centre for Food Safety has suspended processing applications for importing poultry and poultry products from South Korea, following confirmation of an H5N1 avian flu outbreak there.
Hong Kong imported 900 tonnes of frozen poultry meat and offal from South Korea in January-August.
The centre will seek further information on the case.
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"The next major advancement in the health of American people will be determined by what the individual is willing to do for himself"-- John Knowles, Former President of the Rockefeller Foundation
"We are in this breathing space before it happens. We do not know how long that breathing space is going to be. But, if we are not all organizing ourselves to get ready and to take action to prepare for a pandemic, then we are squandering an opportunity for our human security"- Dr. David Nabarro
"We are in this breathing space before it happens. We do not know how long that breathing space is going to be. But, if we are not all organizing ourselves to get ready and to take action to prepare for a pandemic, then we are squandering an opportunity for our human security"- Dr. David Nabarro
I am running behind on commentaris for South Korea, and additional reports of deaths continue to come in. I suspect the outbreak is considerably worse than described in initial media reports.
Bird Flu Spread To Four South Korean West Coast Locations Recombinomics Commentary November 27, 2006 A low-grade strain of bird flu has also struck South Korea last week. The viruses found in two different places, however, the Agriculture Ministry said were not the H5N1 strain. The strain killed 200 chickens in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers south of Seoul, and some 510 chickens in Yangpyeong, 55 kilometers east of the capital.
The above comments describe a fourth location on or near the western coast of South Korea that is positive for bird flu. H5N1 has been confirmed in the first location, Iksan, 225 kilometers south of Seoul, This confirmation has led to a massive culling in Iksan in addition to the two outbreaks above and chickens in Seosan.
Media reports are also describing additional unexplained poultry deaths in Seosan, as well as spread beyond the culling perimeter in Iksan, suggesting the H5N1 infections are markedly greater and more widespread than indicated in media reports citing low path infections.
More details on the serotypes involved would be useful.
The likely widespread linkage of H5N1 to wild birds in the region and beyond remains high.
No traces of bird flu found in Seosan, ministry says SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- The deaths of a huge number of chickens in Seosan of South Choongcheong Province last week was not related to the deadly bird flu virus, South Korea's Agriculture Ministry said Monday.
Chicken farm operators at Seosan, just north of the site of a bird flu outbreak in Iksan, 230 kilometers south of Seoul, have formally requested an investigation by the state veterinary service after more than 1,000 chickens died since Nov. 20 without a clear reason.
My husband will be in Seoul and Shanghai next week on business. If anyone has a question for him to ask of the locals let me know.
He can be pretty handy at times.
"We are in this breathing space before it happens. We do not know how long that breathing space is going to be. But, if we are not all organizing ourselves to get ready and to take action to prepare for a pandemic, then we are squandering an opportunity for our human security"- Dr. David Nabarro
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</TD><TD vAlign=top width=360>By Kim Tong-hyung
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