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Gov't takes drastic action to check bird flu spread
By Lee Joon-seung
SEOUL, May 5 (Yonhap) -- The government said Monday that it will kill and bury 400,000 birds in Anseong after a poultry farm reported a suspected avian influenza outbreak over the weekend.
The measure that affects 12 poultry farms in the city 77 kilometers south of Seoul is being taken despite the lack of definitive test results indicating why several thousand birds died suddenly, the Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said.
It said the stepped-up quarantine measures are designed to prevent the further spread of the virus that has resulted in the culling of 6 million birds since April. In the past, the government usually waited for definitive test results before destroying birds in nearby farms.
A poultry farmer reported on Sunday that of the 57,000 chickens he is raising 4,000 died within a very short period.
"The initial on-site tests conducted at the chicken farm showed the existence of the H5 bird flu strain," an official said. He added all surviving birds at the farm have been destroyed while those within a three kilometer radius are being culled.
The outbreak in Anseong is the second time a bird flu outbreak has been reported in Gyeonggi province. The first case was in Pyeongtaek near Anseong, when birds tested positive for the virulent H5N1 strain of the bird flu.
The ministry, meanwhile, said that the Anseong case brings the number of bird flu reports to 59 this year. Of these, 32 were caused by the influenza and 21 were caused by other diseases. The remaining six cases are currently undergoing detailed tests.
The country has been hit twice before by bird flu outbreaks, once during the winter months of 2003-2004 and once during 2006-2007.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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