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Korea Raises Bird Flu Alert - December 1st 2006
The government on Thursday raised the bird flu alert level from ??attention?? to ??precaution?? after two outbreaks of a highly virulent H5N1 virus were discovered at poultry farms in Iksan, North Jeolla Province. The government decided to cull all chickens and ducks in a 3 km radius of the two farms. Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Park Hong-soo made the decision based on recommendations by a consultative body of quarantine experts and academics.
Quarantine authorities said some 800,000 head of poultry are raised in 40 poultry farms in a 3 km radius of the two initially infected farms. Some 150,000 of them in a 500 m radius of the two farms have already been culled since Nov. 26, with the remainder for the chop soon. Some 20,000 other animals including pigs and dogs that can transmit the avian influenza virus are also to be put down.