Announcement

**Gert van der Hoek** · November 24, 2006, 04:57 AM

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Mild bird flu confirmed

Korean authorities confirmed yesterday that a mild form of avian influenza broke out on a chicken farm south of Seoul.

The low-pathogenic strain of the bird flu virus was discovered on the farm in Pyeongtaek, about 70 kilometers south of the capital, after 200 chickens died over three days starting from Tuesday, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said.

"Tests showed the virus was low pathogenic and has little chance of being transmitted to humans," it said.

The confirmation came a day after the ministry announced that it had detected a possibly virulent strain of bird flu in Iksan, about 230 kilometers south of Seoul. Authorities speculated that the Iksan virus may be the H5N1 strain that has killed more than 140 people so far worldwide.

No South Koreans have died from the human influenza. The ministry said the government will ban the movement of birds from the Pyeongtaek farm, but no action will be taken to slaughter sick chickens, since they usually recover. The government will also take no action against birds on nearby farms.

According to World Organization for Animal Health rules, a non-virulent strain does not warrant a trade ban.

"Technically, this non-virulent strain is not classified as avian influenza," said Kim Chang-seob, the chief veterinary officer at the ministry. The government has reported such discoveries to keep the general public informed.

The ministry has been on high alert since Nov. 1 to detect any bird flu outbreaks, which usually coincide with the arrival of migratory birds. The alert will be in place until late February.

Meanwhile, Japan has temporarily suspended South Korean poultry imports due to a suspected bird flu outbreak that has killed around 6,000 chickens and prompted authorities to cull thousands more, the top government spokesman said Friday.

"As a precaution, we decided (Thursday) to temporarily suspend imports of Korean poultry and to ask that people entering Japan from South Korea sterilize their shoes," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki told reporters.

The government has asked Seoul for more details about the outbreak in the country's southwest, Shiozaki added.

Japan imported 289 metric tons of chicken meat from South Korea in 2005, according to the Japan External Trade Organization.

Most bird flu viruses are not harmful to humans, but South Korea's agriculture ministry hoped to confirm this weekend whether the suspected outbreak was caused by the H5N1 strain, which can be deadly to people.

The discovery was made in the southwestern province of Jeolla on Wednesday, according to a statement from the agriculture ministry.

It said 6,000 chickens in the area had died, and authorities would kill a further 6,000 to prevent the virus from spreading.

Korea culled 5.3 million birds during the last known outbreak of bird flu in 2003.

The H5N1 virus began ravaging Asian poultry stocks in late 2003 and has killed at least 153 people worldwide.

The Korea Herald

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/SITE/data/html_dir/2006/11/25/200611250008.asp

The Korea Herald is South Korea’s largest English-language daily and the country’s sole member of the Asia News Network (ANN).

**Reeves** · November 27, 2006, 12:19 AM

South Korea - H5N1 - Seosan & Pyeongtaek

LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- Bird flu was found in a pair of chickens raised in South Korea's southern city of Seosan, 140 kilometers north of Iksan where the first outbreak forced quarantine officials to slaughter nearly 100,000 livestock last week, government officials said Monday.

The infected chickens had been hatched out of eggs supplied in mid-November from a breeding farm in Iksan where the virus was first discovered last week, the provincial officials said.

**Reeves** · November 27, 2006, 12:20 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=466 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=233></TD><TD align=right width=233>2006/11/27 12:37 KST </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Bird flu spreads in South Korea despite quarantine measures SEOUL, Nov. 27 (Yonhap) -- Bird flu was found in a pair of chickens raised in South Korea's southern city of Seosan, north of Iksan where the first outbreak took place and thousands of chickens were subsequently culled, government officials said Monday.

The chickens found to be infected with the deadly epidemic had been born out of eggs supplied from the Iksan poultry farm where the highly-virulent strain of bird flu was discovered last week, the provincial officials said.

They said they plan to keep their eye on other blood samples extracted from the poultry for the preliminary test and tighten embargo on transfer of livestock.

Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, broke out last week in South Korea's southern city of Iksan, the first outbreak in the country in four years.

South Korea remains on a heightened alert and is implementing full quarantine measures, fearing the spread of the fatal virus believed to have killed some 250 people worldwide since its outbreak in 2003.

The Geneva-based World Health Organization believes the virus may mutate into a highly virulent strain that can easily be transmitted among humans if left unchecked.

samkim@yna.co.kr

**Theresa42** · November 27, 2006, 01:06 AM

Map...

Map of the two locations...

**Theresa42** · November 27, 2006, 01:18 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

They're talking about this spreading to Seosan via poultry eggs from Iksan, but there also seems to have been some concern about migratory birds in Seosan back on Friday (the date of this article). Also, they're handing out Tamiflu to cullers. (Horrible machine-translation follows....)

Google-translated from Korean:

[AI disease prevention emergencies] last decision the [ik] mountain [Iksan] which has ahead storm eve
Nov 24, 2006

Chollapuk_do AI charge government employee 5 month for vacancies? Chwung Cheng ['Chungcheongnam-do' or South Chungcheong -- province where Seosan is located] migratory bird arrival [ci] * condition area extreme tension

The birds influenza which occurs from chollapuk_do [ik] [Iksan] mountain hour (AI) the hardship with accomplishes well and support it is not, the hole was pierced indication is consideration to watch hardship system of the back authorities where the lung four one chicken flows out at outside.

When it followed in 24th chollapuk_do degree and the [ik] mountain right time farmland proprietor step mother (56) Sea with AI about 6,500 the chicken the group lung company the [ik] mountain which it does but it is sour but did not struggle in degree. 19th 19, 20th 200, 21st 400 and 22nd 5,000 died and went out and the farmland proprietor hardship to load 5 chickens which die instead of in the passenger car of direct oneself, Anyang national veterinarian scientific unit which is to condition Anyang hour it visited.

When AI is suspected, after struggling immediately in the appropriate authority, in order to conduct a disease prevention and the serum prosecuting attorney, it means that one confrontation system is not operated. [ci] 10th where 2003 Edo AI occurs or after passing, Oh! it had the result where in the wind where the farmhouse struggles this fact the damage is diffused with national and it came.

Tile hour 22nd afternoon AIth possibility is high late from the national veterinarian scientific unit and before being notified until, it knew a group lung company fact. Compared to it acts but the winter season whose AI occurrence possibilities which go round are high all becomes but also the reason which is extra ordinary the livestock raising division chief place which will generalize AI management services let to leave without at the vacancies during 5 months.

It confronts hereupon and the officials ?the large unit poultry farming farmhouses directness to struggle in the problematic occurrence hour quarantine unit and it will be common one and to request the prosecuting attorney, to the confrontation system there will not be a big problem and " it talked this time and ?in order to construct the hardship watch which and quick is systematic with opportunity".

It seeks at only 3 years and with all AI the entire country is trembling in fear. 'AI epicentral [ci] ' the [ik] mountain hour box ten [up] region which is [nong] with the [huy] [ppwu] yearly disinfecting chemicals was coming to sprinkle in the bottom here and there, to the farmhouse entrance 'entrance and exit prohibition' [phays] it walked an end and it put and event site seniority in age [khey] powerfully. Kyonggi-Do the past AI occurrence area and Ich'on hour foreign wine hour Ansong hour P'yongt'aek hour P'och'on hour exaltation hour Kimp'o hour Yongin hour Hwa-Seng kwun back 9:00 proclaimed armies at the intensive control region.

From the Chung Cheong Nam Do where there is only a domestic maximum migratory bird arrival [ci] rainwater mountain hour only the rainwater the wild duck and it will be able to contact in order the chicken and the duck of the circumferential farm, surrounded with the net which is close the barn. The light northern province against the chicken duck breeding farmhouse it strengthened farm disinfecting and the outsider entrance and exit control back.

We're sorry, but something went wrong

http://news.hankooki.com/lpage/society/200611/h2006112418270184100.htm

Photo caption: The chollapuk_do [ik] [Iksan] mountain public health center staff 24th birds influenza (other America which is AI preventive medicines [phul] divides the [lwu] in the staffs which control an entrance and exit from AI) occurrence areas and it is giving.

**AlaskaDenise** · November 27, 2006, 02:24 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

Note that cullers in this photo & one in another thread (posted by Mingus, I believe), are NOT wearing goggles! BF via conjunctivitis anyone?

Look at the outbreaks. If you were a migratory bird headed to mainland china, via the Yellow Sea, where would you stop & get your fill of food before the flight? Yep, both towns look likely to me.

.

**Gert van der Hoek** · November 27, 2006, 03:24 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

Second Bird Flu Case Tied to Iksan Farm

By Park Chung-a
Staff Reporter

Bird flu has been found in a pair of chickens raised in Sosan, South Chungchong Province, 140 kilometers north of the virus?? first outbreak this year, Iksan. The outbreak in Iksan led to the slaughtering of almost 100,000 animals last week.

The infected chickens had been hatched out of eggs bought in mid-November from a breeding farm in Iksan, according to provincial officials.

The infection was discovered through blood samples taken from eight poultry farms for preliminary tests under special surveillance by the government.

They also conducted preliminary tests on another five farms in South Chungchong Province as they have made purchases from an Iksan-located breeding farm.

The officials in Sosan said that they will do their best to enforce the embargo on the circulation of livestock.

The National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service is currently working on finding out whether the virus found in Sosan is a highly-virulent strain like the one found in Iksan, which could cause human infections.

However, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry announced that since the chickens in the farm have not died en masse, it is unlikely that the virus is a highly pathogenic one. The results of the final tests are expected today.

Quarantine officials have so far slaughtered 96,000 birds within a 500-meter radius of the outbreak site in Iksan, which is about 250 kilometers south of Seoul, in order to block the spread of the fatal virus. Bird flu has reportedly killed some 250 people worldwide since its outbreak in 2003.

The officials also said that they plan to destroy an additional 230,000 animals by Thursday and disposal areas could expand depending on further discoveries.

The government has launched a publicity campaign to raise public awareness of the fact that the bird flu virus is completely killed when poultry is cooked for five minutes at a temperature higher than 70 degrees Celsius.

In 2003 and 2004, the nation had to destroy more than 5 million birds in order to prevent the spread of the disease. No South Korean has ever been reported to be infected.

404 Not Found

http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/200611/kt2006112717061710230.htm

**HenryN** · November 27, 2006, 03:57 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11...ea_Spread.html

**AlaskaDenise** · November 27, 2006, 04:09 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

Originally posted by niman

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11...ea_Spread.html

Commentary

H5 Spread on South Korean Farms
Recombinomics Commentary
November 27, 2006

Bird flu was found in a pair of chickens raised in South Korea's southern city of Seosan, north of Iksan where the first outbreak took place and thousands of chickens were subsequently culled, government officials said Monday.

The chickens found to be infected with the deadly epidemic had been born out of eggs supplied from the Iksan poultry farm where the highly-virulent strain of bird flu was discovered last week, the provincial officials said.

The above comments indicate the H5N1 on South Korean farms may have spread. Earlier reports had indicated that the infected farm was on a migratory bird flyway, which would also be true for the second farm, which is near the western coast of the South Korean peninsula. Both high and low path H5 is spread by migratory birds.

The time and location of the first outbreak suggest the H5N1 is being spread by migratory birds. The last confirmed outbreak of H5N1 in Korea was in December, 2003. That outbreak was quickly followed by H5N1 in Japan in early 2004. H5N1 from both countries was very similar and the H5N1 in Japan was found in wild birds.

The sequences from Korea and Japan in 2003/2004 were subsequently found in dead waterfowl at Qinghai Lake in the spring of 2005, further linking H5N1 in Korea and Japan to long range migratory birds. These birds were the likely source of the H5N1 outbreaks that exploded in Asia in 2004.

At that time, there was little sequence data on wild birds, but the H5N1 in Hong Kong in 2002 and 2003 had many polymorphisms that were not in H5N1 isolates from 2001, indicating the new polymorphisms had flown into the region.

The Qinghai outbreak provide clear data for the transport and transmission of H5N1 because the Qinghai isolates had the novel HA cleavage site of GERRRRKKR as well as PB2 E627K. Moreover, the strain could killed wild and domestic waterfowl, which created a trail of dead and dying birds along the migration routes.

Prior to the Qinghai outbreak, the Asian strain of H5N1 had not been detected west of China. The newly introduced H5N1 into Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, India, Afghanistan, and countries throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa were all infected with the Qinghai strain of H5N1 in 2005/2006

Detection of the Qinghai strain in eastern Asia has been limited. Although over 700 Qinghai H5N1 infections were identified in Europe, only one Qinghai isolate has been reported in eastern Asia (Shantou in 2006). However, this detection failure is likely to be due to surveillance issues, which have been largely limited to feces from live markets in southern China.

More aggressive testing of dead or dying waterfowl would be useful. Most H5N1 detected in Europe have been from dead wild birds. Detection in live birds is rare, unless the level of H5N1 in the area is high, such as the detection of H5N1 in wild birds in Siberia after widespread detection in dead or dying poultry on farms.

Surveillance of H5N1 remains poor worldwide. These failures are largely due to efforts focused on testing live wild birds, and active avoidance of dead or dying birds. In the United States, approximately 35,000 live of hunter killed birds have been tested this year, while the number of dead or dying birds is less than 1000 throughout the country, including Alaska and Hawaii. Although low path H5N1 has been detected in the live birds collected over a wide area, there has been no H5N1 reported in dead or dying birds from the same areas, indicating the collection and testing experimental design is fatally flawed.

Thus, more outbreaks on farms form migratory birds are expected to occur without warning, because the surveillance methods worldwide have largely failed.

More details on the age of the infected chickens, as well as sequence data on the bird flu detected in both locations would be useful.

.

**AlaskaDenise** · November 27, 2006, 04:13 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

Any chance the Canadian LP H5N1 polymorphisms traveled through Alaska this past summer and are now arriving in SE Asia?

.

**AlaskaDenise** · November 27, 2006, 04:20 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/engli...ss/174473.html

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=headtitle01_eng style="PADDING-TOP: 20px">After bird flu found, industry braces for worst</TD></TR><TR><TD class=subtitle01_eng style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top">Sales of chicken meat drop by 30%</TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR height=1><TD bgColor=#e3e3e3></TD></TR><TR bgColor=#efefef height=27><TD align=right> </TD></TR><TR height=1><TD bgColor=#e3e3e3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 0px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 0px; PADDING-TOP: 14px"><SCRIPT src="/section-homepage/news/06/news_font.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><STYLE type=text/css> .article, .article a, .article a:visited, .article p{ font-size:14px; color:#222222; line-height:24px; } </STYLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=290 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD noWrap width=15></TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle> </TD></TR><TR><TD height=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=movie_text style="WORD-BREAK: break-all" bgColor=#8f8f8f>? Slaughtered chickens are buried, due to worries over bird flu being spread.</TD></TR><TR><TD noWrap height=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD noWrap width=15></TD></TR><TR height=15><TD noWrap colSpan=3></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
With the avian influenza found in Iksan, North Jeolla Province confirmed as a highly virulent strain, poultry farms and distributors are trying to prevent a huge drop in sales. The government has stepped in, as well, taking powerful preventive measures to curb a spread of the disease among poultry.

According to poultry farms and officials of the meat distribution industry on November 26, since the outbreak of the disease between November 23 and 25, sales of poultry have decreased nationwide about 10 to 30 percent. When a previous bird flu case was found in South Korea in December 2003, chicken consumption fell more than 40 percent.

In the case of Korea's largest chicken meat provider, Halim, orders of the meat dropped about 10 percent between November 23 and 24 and more than 20 percent on November 25. The Korea Chicken Council (KCC) said that on November 23, industry orders of chicken meat fell about 20 percent overall, but that number was as high as 30 percent on the weekend.

At Homeplus, the nation's second-largest discounter and operated by Samsung Tesco, sales of chicken meat went down about 25 percent between November 23 to 25, compared to the same period last year. Sales of eggs also dropped about 15 percent. However, E-Mart, Korea's biggest discount chain store, which held "chicken meat bargain sales" between November 23 and 29, has witnessed an increase of 93 percent from the same period last year.
The chicken meat distribution industry has prepared a special sale event to help poultry farmers, and it plans to give consumers a proper understanding of bird flu and to inform them that chicken meat on the market is safe. Lee Jae-ha, an official of the KCC said, "As not only infected chickens but also those suspected of being infected are slaughtered, tainted meat can't be circulated. We will let consumers know that chicken meat on the market is safe."

.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

**HenryN** · November 27, 2006, 04:33 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

SKorea reports second apparent bird flu outbreak as Japan bans imports Fri Nov 24, 5:12 AM ET

South Korea has announced its second apparent bird flu outbreak this week, as Japan suspended poultry imports from its neighbour, but said it was not the deadly H5N1 strain of the disease.

The agriculture ministry said the death of some 200 chickens at a farm in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of Seoul, was due to a mild strain of bird flu not lethal to humans.

The ministry said the government would ban the movement of birds from the Pyeongtaek farm, but that sick chickens would not be slaughtered because they usually recover from the mild strain.

On Thursday the ministry announced an apparently more virulent suspected outbreak in the southern city of Iksan, the first suspected bird flu case since the nation declared itself free of the disease last December.

Some 6,000 chicken died in three days at the farm at Seokmae village in Iksan, 250 kilometers south of Seoul, prompting the agriculture ministry to order the culling of the remaining 6,000 birds in the farm.

"They will finish killing and burying the remaining chicken at the farm on Friday," Ko Myung-Keyn, an official from North Jeolla province in charge of livestock quarantine, told AFP Friday.

He said an area within a 500-meter radius of the outbreak, where the affected farm and six others raise a total of 240,000 birds, had been cordoned off.

"If the case is confirmed as a bird flu outbreak, all the birds there would be culled."

The result of blood tests on the affected birds was expected late Saturday.

The ministry has banned shipments to and from the farms in the contaminated area, carried out quarantine measures and imposed restrictions on the movement of people and vehicles there.

Iksan City called for an emergency fund of some 17 million dollars from the central government to increase quarantine activity and provide financial assistance to affected farms, Yonhap news agency said.

It also expanded the cordoned-off zone from an area within a radius of three kilometers to eight kilometers and asked for manpower assistance from police and military authorities to control movements to and from this area, it said.

Iksan is a hub of the country's poultry industry, where 5.2 million chicken are being raised on some 440 farms.

More than 200 poultry farms are within 10 kilometres of the affected one, as is the country's top chicken meat processor Halim, which is supplied by them.

Halim supplies 20 to 25 percent of the country's demand for chicken and also exports cooked chicken to Japan and other countries.

Following the suspected bird flu outbreak, Japan suspended poultry imports and started requiring people arriving from South Korea to disinfect their shoes when entering the country.

The deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza, which is spread through contact with sick animals, has killed more than 150 people worldwide since late 2003 and triggered mass culls of millions of poultry.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20061124...orea&printer=1

**HenryN** · November 27, 2006, 05:22 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11..._Spread_3.html

**AlaskaDenise** · November 27, 2006, 05:24 AM

Re: LEAD) Bird flu newly found in South Korea amid massive quarantine efforts

Originally posted by niman

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11..._Spread_3.html

Commentary

Bird Flu Spread To Three South Korean West Coast Locations
Recombinomics Commentary
November 27, 2006

The agriculture ministry said the death of some 200 chickens at a farm in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers (44 miles) south of Seoul, was due to a mild strain of bird flu not lethal to humans.

The ministry said the government would ban the movement of birds from the Pyeongtaek farm, but that sick chickens would not be slaughtered because they usually recover from the mild strain.

On Thursday the ministry announced an apparently more virulent suspected outbreak in the southern city of Iksan, the first suspected bird flu case since the nation declared itself free of the disease last December.

The above comments describe two of the three bird flu outbreaks clustering on the western coast of the South Korean peninsula, 70-210 kilometers south of Seoul. This clustering in time and space increase the likelihood that these outbreaks are linked to wild birds.

The first outbreak has led to a massive cull and quarantine due to the detection of HPAI H5N1. The outbreak described above has been reported as a serotype other than H5N1 or H5N2, but additional details have not been published. Similarly, the limited number of detected infections has suggested that the third outbreak is also low path avian influenza.

In 2003, H3N2, H6N1, and H9N2 were detected in South Korean live markets. while farm outbreaks of H5N1 and H5N2 were also reported in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

The timing and location of the latest series of outbreaks points toward a migratory bird source. More information on the serotypes of the most recent outbreaks, as well as the strain of H5N1 and sequence data would be useful.

.