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Soldier affected by bird flu recovers: health authorities
SEOUL, April 25 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean soldier who may have been infected with the bird flu virus has been declared "fully cured" by doctors, health authorities said Friday.
The soldier, who has been placed under quarantine since Sunday, has responded well to antibiotics and antiviral drugs, with his white cell count back to normal, the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said.
It said the soldier's fever, sore throat and other symptoms that could be linked to bird flu have vanished, but added the patient will remain in the hospital for the time being until more detailed test results come in.
KCDC said earlier in the week that while the solider took part in the culling and burying of birds and initial tests showed he had been exposed to the avian influenza, his ill health may have been brought on by common flu.
Doctors said that he had been feeling ill before being assigned to the bird culling detail.
A handful of South Koreans tested positive for bird flu antibodies in their blood in the past although none have actually become sick. Antibodies in the blood is a telltale sign that a person was infected with a certain virus even if he or she did not get sick.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, meanwhile, said one duck farm in Naju, South Jeolla province reported sudden deaths of birds on Thursday.
This brings the total number of reported bird flu cases in the country to 52. Of that number, 28 tested positive for bird flu, while 12 were sick for other reasons. Other reports are being checked by animal quarantine officials.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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