South Korea - H5N1 - Iksan & Yangpyeong

Theresa42 · Nov 22, 2006

S.Korea finds suspected bird flu case at poultry farm
Nov 23, 2006

SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea's agriculture ministry said on Thursday it had discovered a suspected case of bird flu at a poultry farm in the south west of the country, which could be the country's first outbreak in about three years.

The ministry will hold a briefing on the matter at 0210 GMT, a ministry official said by telephone.

The official said it would take about two days to confirm whether the poultry had been infected with bird flu.

Chickens at the poultry farm in North Cholla province showed signs of bird flu, the official said. He would not speculate as to whether it was the potentially deadly H5N1 strain or not.

About 400,000 poultry at South Korean farms were infected by bird flu between December 2003 and March 2004.

Subsequent testing in the United States indicated that at least South Korean nine workers involved in the mass culling of birds had been infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus but none of them developed any major illnesses, South Korean health officials have said.

The World Health Organisation said that as of Nov. 13, there have been 258 cases of human infection of the H5N1 strain from 2003, killing 153 people.

Copyright ? 2006 Reuters

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.as...01_NOOTR_RTRJONC_0_-277456-1&sec=Worldupdates

GaudiaRay · Nov 23, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

S. Korea reports suspected bird flu case in southeast
SEOUL, Nov. 23 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean government said Thursday it has discovered a suspected case of the bird flu virus in the southeastern city of Iksan.

The discovery comes as the country has been on a high bird flu alert as migratory birds that can spread the deadly disease flock to the country for the winter, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said.

It said samples of the suspected virus are being analyzed at state labs.

Following government operating procedures, the area where the virus has been detected will be sealed off and all birds destroyed to prevent the spread of the disease. The discovery of the virus could adversely affect the local poultry industry.

In 2003-04, South Korea had to dispose of a large number of chickens and ducks when the H5N1 strain swept through the country. The government destroyed 5.3 million birds in the outbreak at a cost of about 1 trillion (US$1.07 billion) won to prevent the spread of the disease.

The World Health Organization has reported that bird flu has killed at least 148 people in 10 countries since December 2003, and the Asian region has been hit hard by the virus.

yonngong@yna.co.kr
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20061123/640000000020061123103116E3.html

GaudiaRay · Nov 23, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="600"><tbody><tr><td colspan="4" align="left" valign="top" width="590">Suspected Bird Flu Reported in Iksan
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http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/biz/200611/kt2006112317452011870.htm
By Kim Yon-se
Staff Reporter A suspected outbreak of bird flu was reported at a chicken farm in Iksan, North Cholla Province, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said Thursday, affecting a group of brood hens. The ministry said that depending on the type of avian influenza, the highly contagious virus could be transmitted to humans.
The farm is a subcontractor of Korea?s largest chicken meat provider, Halim, which has more than a 30 percent market share. The plant supplies young chicks to Halim by raising thousands of brood hens.
The National Veterinary Research & Quarantine Service detected the suspected bird flu in the provincial city and the ministry has dispatched a group of inspectors for a detailed investigation.
``It will take several days for us to finish investigations into whether it is real avian influenza and of what type,?? said Ministry spokesman Lee Yang-ho. In an emergency news briefing, the ministry said about 6,000 out of 13,000 brood hens in the plant died between last Sunday and Wednesday.
If the government confirms the influenza as a type that can be transmitted to people, it will issue a nationwide bird flu warning, cautioning against the arrival of migratory birds from northern countries.
The bird flu virus, previously limited to Southeast Asia, has been found among migratory birds in China, Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia since last year.
Halim, also located in Iksan, shut down its online homepage for several hours after the suspected outbreak was reported.

kys@koreatimes.co.kr
11-23-2006 17:45

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AlaskaDenise · Nov 23, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Iksan is in a nice delta area - good bird feeding area before heading across the Yellow Sea to China....

HenryN · Nov 23, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Bird flu, perhaps a danger to humans, found in south

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=652 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=Sarticle>http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200611/23/200611232218300879900090409041.html</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=652 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=txt_index_02>November 24, 2006 ㅡ Health authorities began working yesterday to counter a suspected bird flu outbreak at a farm in North Jeolla province, near the growing and processing facilities of the nation's largest poultry supplier.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry warned yesterday of possible human infection, saying the virus could be a highly pathogenic form. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention have sent antiviral medications to the outbreak area.
"The National Veterinary Research Quarantine Service found a suspected avian influenza virus at a poultry farm in Iksan, North Jeolla province," Kim Chang-seob, chief veterinary officer at the Agriculture Ministry, told the press yesterday. The farm is located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the operations of the nation's largest poultry supplier, Halim, which slaughters and processes up to 350,000 chickens daily, or 22 percent of domestic demand.
According to the ministry, 6,000 of 13,000 chickens at the farm died between Sunday and yesterday. After an initial investigation, the quarantine service said bird flu was the suspected cause. The final test results will be announced on Saturday, but experts at the service said the virus was "highly likely" to be a virulent strain transmissible to humans.
The ministry said it would slaughter the remaining chickens at the farm as well as 250,000 poultry being raised at livestock facilities within a 500-meter (547-yard) radius. The farm was quarantined yesterday afternoon, with about 10 health officials on hand to control entry and exit. The North Jeolla provincial government also began emergency disinfection in the area.
About 440 farms in Iksan are raising 5.2 million chickens, the provincial government said.
The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention warned the public yesterday to avoid contact with birds and to wash their hands frequently. Poultry industry workers were asked to wear protective masks and gloves and were advised to take a bath after working with birds. Eating cooked poultry is safe, the center said.
The center said no symptomatic human bird flu patient has been reported in Korea yet, although nine workers at poultry processing facilities were infected in late 2003. They developed no symptoms, and the infection was discovered only two years after the fact during routine blood tests.
The center stressed that Korea has stockpiles of Tamiflu, the drug of choice for treating avian influenza, sufficient to treat 720,000 patients.
The World Health Organization has reported 153 human deaths from avian flu in 10 countries around the world.

by Kim Dong-ho,Ser Myo-ja <myoja@joongang.co.kr>
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HenryN · Nov 23, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11230601/H5N1_Korea_Likely.html

HenryN · Nov 23, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=headtitle01_eng style="PADDING-TOP: 20px">S. Korea reports suspected bird flu case in southwest
http://english.hani.co.kr/arti/english_edition/e_national/173847.html

</TD></TR><TR><TD class=subtitle01_eng style="VERTICAL-ALIGN: top"></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">The South Korean government said Thursday it has discovered a suspected case of the bird flu virus at a chicken farm in the southwestern city of Iksan.

The country went on high bird flu alert this month as migratory birds that can spread the deadly disease flock to the country for the winter, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said.

"About 6,000 birds out of 13,000 chickens raised on the farm have died from Sunday through Wednesday," said Kim Chang-seob, chief veterinary officer at the Agriculture Ministry.

He said the government received word of the outbreak on Wednesday when more than 5,000 birds died suddenly on the farm. He said judging from the large number of deaths and initial tests conducted, the virus is likely to be of the virulent strain.

The farm does not sell the chickens it raises for consumption, but produces eggs and chicks that are sold to other growers.

The ministry is expected to confirm details on the virus late Saturday after samples of the suspected virus are being thoroughly analyzed at a state lab, Kim said.

An extremely virulent strain of the bird flu would be dangerous to humans if it were to mutate to a form that could pass from human to human.

Following government operating procedures established in 2004, the official said the farm's remaining chickens will be culled and buried and a quarantine will be enforced for a 10-kilometer radius around the farm. All eggs have been destroyed, while two hatcheries that have received eggs from the farm have been closed.

"About 5 million chickens and ducks are within the 10 kilometer radius although no other farm has reported unusual deaths," the veterinary officer said. He said authorities are trying to figure out how the birds became infected by the avian influenza.

Kim said the farmer and all people that may have come in contact with the chickens are being examined for flu-like symptoms, such as high fever.

In addition, policymakers are trying to determine what measures will be needed to allow Halim Co., South Korea's largest chicken processing plant, to continue operations. The main factory is within the 10 kilometer quarantine limit.

Halim processes 350,000 chickens per day and enjoys 30-40 percent of the domestic market share.

"Because the animals processed at Halim are from all over the country and not from the Iksan area alone, there is probably no need to close down the facility if tight safety measures are enforced," the official said. He said the farm that had reported the outbreak had commercial ties with Halim. Kim, however, said the export of frozen chicken and duck meat as well samgyetang will be affected. Most of these products are shipped to Japan. A ban on frozen chicken and duck meat can last 3-4 months.

The official then stressed that there is no need for public concern since South Korea has a proven track record of isolating past bird flu outbreaks. He said people are safe to eat chicken and duck meat since the disease is only transmitted through direct contact with infected animals.

In 2003-2004, South Korea had to dispose of a large number of chickens and ducks when the H5N1 strain swept through the country.

The government destroyed 5.3 million birds in the outbreak at a cost of about 1.5 billion won (US$1.61 million) to prevent the spread of the disease.

The World Health Organization has reported that bird flu has killed at least 148 people in 10 countries since December 2003, and the Asian region has been hit hard by the virus. There had been a total of 43 countries that reported the bird flu outbreak overall, with 28 still not having fully contained it.
Seoul, Nov. 23 (Yonhap News)

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Theresa42 · Nov 23, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Japan Suspends S. Korean Chicken Imports on Bird-Flu Concerns
Nov 23, 2006

By Takashi Hirokawa and Jason Clenfield

Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) -- Japan will temporarily suspend poultry imports from South Korea on concerns over bird flu, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.

South Korea yesterday said health inspectors are testing poultry for bird flu on a farm where 6,000 birds died this week. The country reported an outbreak of the H5N1 strain of avian influenza in December 2003, prompting the slaughter of about 5.3 million chickens and ducks valued at 150 billion won ($161 million).

"We're waiting to hear more details from the South Koreans," Shiozaki said at a regular press conference today in Tokyo. People coming to Japan from South Korea will have their shoes disinfected as a precaution, he said.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601101&sid=adSJfYof7qUo

AlaskaDenise · Nov 24, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

niman said:
Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11230601/H5N1_Korea_Likely.html

Commentary

Highly Likely H5N1 On South Korean Farms
Recombinomics Commentary
November 23 2006

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11100603/H5N1_Hoarding_Still.htmlAccording to the ministry, 6,000 of 13,000 chickens at the farm died between Sunday and yesterday. After an initial investigation, the quarantine service said bird flu was the suspected cause. The final test results will be announced on Saturday, but experts at the service said the virus was "highly likely" to be a virulent strain transmissible to humans.

The above comments support the outbreak of the H5N1 Qinghai strain in South Korea. The last reported outbreak of H5N1 in South Korea was in late 2003. That was followed by an outbreak of closely related H5N1 in Japan in early 2004. Sequences from these isolates were subsequently found in the Qinghai isolates from Qinghai Lake in May of 2005, supporting acquisition of these multiple polymorphisms via recombination.

The sequences in the Qinghai strain could be traced to the H5N1 in Korea/Japan, as well as low path H5 in Europe and southeast Asia and high path H5N1 in Shantou in southeastern China.

The fixing of the Qinghai H5N1 strain in long range migratory birds at Qinghai Lake was followed by H5N1 outbreaks in southern Siberia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan in the summer of 2005. The Qinghai strain subsequently spread to India, Afghanistan, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Although the majority of H5N1 isolated in southern China was the Fujian strain, the detection of only one Qinghai isolate was largely due to selective surveillance, which was focused on H5N1 in feces in live poultry markets. The predictions of a wave of the Fujian strain displacing the Qinghai strain is unlikely, although such a scenario was mention in the recent PNAS paper on the spread of the Fujian strain in southern China.

2006 isolates of H5N1 in Afghanistan, Mongolia, and Tyva in southern Siberia have been Qinghai, signaling the continued dominance of Qinghai in migratory birds, which are the likely source of the outbreak in South Korea. Similarly, the sequence of the H5N1 from the recent fatal infection in Egypt was also the Qinghai strain, signaling more Qinghai outbreaks this season in Europe, the Middle East and Africa in birds and people

H5N1 evolves via recombination, so the sequence database provides a history of transmission and dual infections involving H5N1. This database predicts that the isolates in South Korea will share many polymorphisms with the 2006 isolates in Mongolia and Tyva. However, many additional serotypes (H3N2, H6N1, H9N2) were found in live markets in South Korea, so sharing of polymorphisms with these isolates is also possible.

These predictions, however, are dependent on a complete and robust sequence database. The current public database is heavily biased by partial and withheld sequences, as well as poor surveillance. The detection of just one Qinghai isolate in eastern China is but one of many examples of poor surveillance. This is compounded by the multiple partial H5N1 sequences that have been deposited for Asian isoaltes collected between 1999 and 2006. Although the sequences have been published, and a free sequencing program is available through NIAID, the labs publishing the data have elected to withhold the samples and sequences.

This behavior should cease. These hoarding labs act as consultants to the WHO, and therefore are mailed samplesfrom around teh world for confirmation. The confirmed samples are used to isolate and sequence H5N1, but the sequencing labs control the data and contribute to a WHO sponsored private database at Los Alamos that can be accessed by a handful of WHO consultingb labs. Since most of the sequences have been released in partial form or discussed in peer review publications, the excuses used to hoard the data are no longer operative.

St Jude and the University of Hong Kong have collected most of the published H5N1 sequences. The partial sequences include isolates from 1999 through 2006 and have been discussed in multiple publication. Moreover, St Jude has used the NIAID program to generate and release over 1000 flu sequences, but all released data are from sequences other than H5N1. Similarly, the WHO affiliate lab in Weybridge is hoarding over 1000 of the sequences from the H5N1 outbreaks in late 2005 and early 2006 in Europe and the Middle East, including human sequences with important receptor binding domain changes, some of which have also been discussed in peer reviewed publications.

The continued hoarding of these sequences prevents independent confirmation of data presented in the peer reviewed papers in high profile journals such as Nature, Science, and PNAS as well as more specialized journals such as Emerging Infectious Diseases, Virology, and Journal of Virology.

These WHO affiliated labs have maintained that the changes in H5N1 sequences are due to random mutations, and future vaccine targets cannot be predicted. However, the public sequence data includes obvious examples of recombination, and most of the "random mutations" are readily found in prior sequences, supporting acquisitions of the "point mutations" by recombination.

The hoarding of these sequences, including those that were described years ago, undermines the underlying concept of peer review, which demands independent confirmation. On a more short term, practical level, the hoarded data limits the generation of current PCR primers or selection of appropriate vaccine targets.

The hoarded sequences were largely generated by public funds from samples collected by public health agencies. The withholding of the sequences for years, as H5N1 rapidly evolves, should not be tolerated by the funding agencies, or the public, which funds the funding agencies.

.

AlaskaDenise · Nov 24, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Japan suspends poultry imports from South Korea

Friday, November 24, 2006

Japan has suspended poultry imports from South Korea after bird flu was suspected to have caused the death of 6,000 chickens at a farm in that country, a government spokesperson said Friday.

In implementing the ban, the Japanese government requested details from Seoul on the deaths at a poultry operation in Iksan, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said.

Travellers from Seoul were also expected to sterilise shoe soles upon arrival in Japan to prevent the virus from entering into the country.

Nearly half the 13,000 chickens at the farm died from Sunday to Wednesday, and initial tests indicated they had bird flu, which is highly contagious among birds. However, confirmation and a determination of the strain of the disease is not expected until the weekend, the South Korean agriculture and forestry ministry said.

The surviving poultry stock at the Iksan farm was to be culled and a quarantine was being imposed on an area within a 10 km radius from the affected farm, the ministry said.

- By DPA

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Gert van der Hoek · Nov 24, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Blood tests of 14 show no bird flu infections

November 25, 2006 ?? The nation's health authority said yesterday that there had been no sign of human infection in the quarantine area in North Jeolla province where bird flu is believed to have broken out.

Following a suspected bird flu infection at a farm in Iksan, the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry warned of the possibility of human infections, saying the virus could be a highly pathogenic strain. The Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention said yesterday that it had examined the couple who owns the farm and 12 visitors who had been there since last Sunday, when birds began dying.

None of the people showed signs of bird flu, the center said, although it would be too early for symptoms to show up. More tellingly, though, blood tests of the 14 people showed no signs of the virus.

More tests are under way, the center said, but one official there said it would be very unusual if an initial blood test were found to have been incorrect.

The center said the 14 people and all quarantine officials in the region are taking Tamiflu, an anti-viral medication, as a precaution.

Another bird flu outbreak was confirmed in Pyeongtaek, southern Gyeonggi province, on Wednesday, the center said, but added that the strain of the virus found there appeared to be far less virulent than the one further south.

About 200 chickens died over a period of three days, the center said. That farm has been quarantined and disinfected.

Japan announced yesterday that it would halt poultry imports from Korea and was seeking more information from Seoul about the outbreak.

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200611/24/200611242125170579900090409041.html

AlaskaDenise · Nov 24, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on Nov. 25) Avian flu found: Strict measures needed to prevent further spread

The discovery of a suspected outbreak of avian influenza, or bird flu, on poultry farms in Iksan, North Cholla Province, and Pyongteak, Kyonggi Province, has caused great anxiety. The painful memory of the bird flu that struck this country in December 2003 is still a vivid memory for people. It wreaked havoc on many poultry farmers, causing as much as 150 billion won worth of damage. The concerned authorities should take all available measures to keep the virus from spreading to other regions.

The disease, if mishandled, is feared to deal a serious blow to our overall economy, including exports. Avian influenza is an infection caused by viruses occurring naturally among birds. Wild birds worldwide carry the viruses in their intestines, but usually do not get sick from them. But this form is very contagious and can make domesticated birds, including chickens, ducks and turkeys, sick, or it can kill them. Chickens and other poultry here usually get the infection from migratory birds coming from other countries during the winter.

The horrible fact is that the virus can be transmitted to humans, though this happens only rarely. The virus detected here lately is said to be the one powerful enough to be transmitted to people. Infections in humans are known to take place from contact with infected poultry or surfaces contaminated with excretions from infected birds. Fortunately, the spread of bird flu from one person to another happens very rarely.

During an outbreak of bird flu among poultry, there is a risk to people who have contact with the infected birds or their excretions. Utmost care should be taken and preventative measures are needed to curb the virus from being spread to people. In the worst-case scenario put forth by the World Health Organization (WHO), the disease could kill as many as 150 million people. We don??t need to be scared of it, however, as long as preventative measures are in place.

It seems inevitable that an outbreak would have substantial financial impact on farmers because tens of thousands of chickens and ducks being bred nearby would have to be killed. Another cause for concern is people??s fear of the disease. When the nation was under the grip of bird flu three years ago, many people were reluctant to eat chicken or related products, causing considerable losses for restaurants owners.

People should know that there is no danger in eating chicken, even if infected, as long as they are properly cooked. Inaccurate people??s knowledge about the disease can increase the property or pshchological damages unnecessary.

.

HenryN · Nov 25, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

All animals at farm hit by bird flu culled, quarantine beingenforced: gov't
IKSAN, South Korea, Nov. 25 (Yonhap) -- All animals at a chicken farm in Iksan that authorities suspect was hit by an outbreak of bird flu have been culled and buried, quarantine officials said Saturday.

Government workers at the farm located about 230 kilometers south of Seoul said 6,000 chickens and two dogs have been destroyed to prevent the possible spread of the avian virus. It is the first time that dogs have been culled as a result of a bird flu outbreak.

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/Engnews/20061125/440100000020061125145908E0.html

HenryN · Nov 25, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11250601/H5N1_Korea_Dogs.html

AlaskaDenise · Nov 25, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

niman said:
Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11250601/H5N1_Korea_Dogs.html

Commentary

Dogs Culled In Likely H5N1 Infections On South Korean Farm
Recombinomics Commentary
November 25 2006

Government workers at the farm located about 230 kilometers south of Seoul said 6,000 chickens and two dogs have been destroyed to prevent the possible spread of the avian virus. It is the first time that dogs have been culled as a result of a bird flu outbreak.

The above description of the culling of dogs in Korea, virtually confirms the H5N1 serotype in the large outbreak described above. It is not clear if the dogs tested positive for H5N1, or were culled as a precaution.

H5N1 was isolated from a dog in Thailand in 2004, but there have been isolates of Qinghai H5N1 from several mammals in Europe, and it is likely that the bird flu in South Korea is the H5N1 Qinghai strain.

Gert van der Hoek · Nov 25, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Official: South Korean bird flu outbreak caused by virulent H5N1 strain

The Associated PressPublished: November 25, 2006

SEOUL, South Korea: An outbreak of bird flu at a South Korean chicken farm was caused by the virulent H5N1 virus, a health official said Saturday.

"It was confirmed as the H5N1 strain but we need more tests to identify whether it is low pathogenic or highly pathogenic," said Kim Jae-hong, a senior researcher at the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service.

The results of lab tests to determine the strain's pathology were expected to be announced later Saturday, officials said.

The outbreak occurred at a chicken farm in Iksan, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Seoul, earlier this week, resulting in the deaths of 6,700 chickens. Quarantine officials were slaughtering an additional 6,300 chickens to prevent the virus from spreading.

Quarantine officials in Iksan said they will cull chickens and ducks as well as dogs, pigs and cats within a 500-meter (1,650-feet) radius if the virus turns out to be the highly pathogenic variety of H5N1, said Kim Joo-il, an official at Iksan city hall.

Iksan city hall's Kim said that the owner of the chicken farm has so far showed no signs of illness.

South 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 dozens of people worldwide.

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/25/asia/AS_GEN_SKorea_Bird_Flu.php

Seems wise to cull all animals susceptible to BF (or put them in quaraintaine)

HenryN · Nov 25, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Commentary at

http://www.recombinomics.com/News/11250602/H5N1_Korea_Confirmed.html

HenryN · Nov 25, 2006

HPAI H5N1 Confirmed in South Korea

HPAI H5N1 Confirmed in South Korea

Official: SKorean bird flu outbreak caused by 'highly pathogenic' type of H5N1

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - An outbreak of bird flu at a South Korean chicken farm was caused by a "highly pathogenic'' type of the virulent H5N1 virus, a health official said Saturday.
The official, who didn't give his name, said more details would be released soon in a ministry statement. Earlier, another official confirmed the outbreak was H5N1, but said further detailed tests were being carried out. The outbreak occurred at a chicken farm in Iksan, about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of Seoul, earlier this week, resulting in the deaths of 6,700 chickens. Quarantine officials were slaughtering an additional 6,300 chickens to prevent the virus from spreading.
Earlier, quarantine officials in Iksan said they would slaughter chickens and ducks as well as dogs, pigs and cats within a 500-meter (1,650-foot) radius if the virus turned out to be the highly pathogenic variety of H5N1, said Kim Joo-il, an official at Iksan city hall.
Kim said the owner of the chicken farm has so far showed no signs of illness.
South Korea killed 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. - AP

<SCRIPT language=JavaScript> function remoteLocation( loc ) { remote = window.open('','TheRemote','width=480,height=500,resizable=0,scrollbars=0'); if (remote != null) { if (remote.opener == null) { remote.opener = self; } remote.location.href = loc; } else { self.close(); } }</SCRIPT>http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/11/25/apworld/20061125213634&sec=apworld

Sharpe · Nov 25, 2006

Re: HPAI H5N1 Confirmed in South Korea

Re: HPAI H5N1 Confirmed in South Korea

Very strange that they initially said it was a low-path strain that killed 6000 animals. That's a contradiction in itself.

Gert van der Hoek · Nov 25, 2006

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

Re: SOUTH KOREA - Suspected bf case at poultry farm

SEOUL, South Korea ? South Korean quarantine officials will slaughter 236,000 poultry after an outbreak of the virulent H5N1 form of bird flu at a chicken farm, the agriculture ministry said Saturday.

The outbreak occurred at a farm in Iksan, about 155 miles south of Seoul, earlier this week, resulting in the deaths of 13,000 chickens ? 6,700 a direct result of infection and the rest culled.

Test results confirmed the outbreak was caused by a "highly pathogenic" type of H5N1 virus, the ministry said in a statement.

It said 236,000 poultry within a 1,650-foot radius of the outbreak site would be slaughtered to keep the virus from spreading.

The ministry also said it would limit the movement of about 5 million chickens and ducks from 221 farms within a 1.6 mile radius of the outbreak.

Park Yong-jong, a city official in Iksan, said the culls would begin Sunday morning.

The "highly pathogenic" type of H5N1 can be lethal to poultry but poses little risk to people, said Kwon Jun-wook, an official at the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,231926,00.html

South Korea - H5N1 - Iksan & Yangpyeong

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