http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/...a_Bird_Flu.php
South Korea to begin killing dogs, pigs in bid to stem bird flu<!-- /headline --><!-- subhead --><!-- /subhead --><!-- byline -->


<!-- /article tools - narrow (used with span photos) --><!-- copy -->SEOUL, South Korea: South Korean officials were planning Tuesday to kill hundreds of dogs and pigs to try preventing the spread of bird flu after an outbreak among chickens, but experts question the merits of killing other animals to stem the disease.
A poultry slaughter began Sunday, a day after the outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu strain was discovered at a farm in Iksan, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Seoul.
The killing of 677 dogs and 300 pigs was scheduled Tuesday, but a lack of available workers could mean a delay, a city official said on condition of anonymity, saying he was not authorized to speak to media.
About 236,000 chickens are also planned for slaughter and 6 million eggs will be destroyed, the Agriculture Ministry has said.
<!-- sidebar --><!-- today in links -->International experts have questioned the necessity of killing non-poultry species to stem bird flu's spread, but South Korean officials said such a step was not unusual ? and has been taken in other countries without public knowledge.
Since ravaging Asia's poultry in late 2003, the H5N1 virus has killed at least 153 people worldwide. Infections among people have been traced to contact with infected birds, but experts fear it could mutate into a form that could create a human pandemic.
South Korea has also been hit by a low-grade strain of bird flu that is not harmful to humans.
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