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S. Korea struggles to stem spread of bird flu
SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea intensified its quarantine efforts on Sunday after two outbreaks of avian influenza were reported last week in the nation's southwestern area, government officials said.
Quarantine officials said that they have completed the process of culling and burying poultry from the affected farms in Gimje and Jeongeup in North Jeolla Province, about 250 kilometers southwest of Seoul, where separate bird flu outbreaks were reported on Wednesday and Saturday.
Around 284,000 chickens and ducks have been destroyed at the farms, while the transport of animals within a 3-kilometer radius of each affected area has also been banned, according to officials.
Twenty-four hour patrols and eight checkpoints have been established in Jeongeup to control the transport of animals to and from nearby major roads, they added.
Quarantine efforts were expanded to cover all of North Jeolla Province as part of proactive measures to stave off another outbreak in nearby areas, officials said.
Concerns over a widespread outbreak of bird flu were renewed earlier in the day when the owner of a duck farm in Sunchang, a town neighboring the two affected zones, reported a suspected bird flu case after around 500 ducks died over the past 10 days for an unknown reason.
Quarantine authorities said it remains to be seen whether the deaths were caused by bird flu, but chances are slim that it is another outbreak because there were no symptoms of the disease, such as fever, present.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Administration and Security said that it has stepped up its monitoring of the affected zones, and has dispatched officials to keep a close eye on future developments.
(END)
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