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S. Korea to build bird flu vaccine plant
SEOUL, May 15 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to build a large plant for the production of avian influenza vaccine in a stepped-up effort to prepare for the possibility of the deadly poultry disease spreading to humans, health officials said Thursday.
The plant, to be located in Hwasun, a town about 340 kilometers southwest of Seoul, will produce enough vaccine for around 20 million patients a year, the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Family Affairs said in a report to parliament. The construction will be completed by the end of next year, it added.
Other details such as the amount of investment were not available.
The plan comes as South Korea is struggling to contain the deadly poultry disease, which caused the nation to cull around 7 million birds since April 1, when the first outbreak of this year was discovered.
Since the outbreak from the southwestern regions of the country, bird flu seems to be spreading nationwide with cases even confirmed in such cities as Seoul and Busan.
South Korea has recorded 42 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza this year. Experts fear the virus, which is usually spread from birds to humans, could mutate into a form easily transmissible between people, sparking a deadly global pandemic.
According to the World Health Organization, around 240 people have reportedly died from the deadly H5N1 strain worldwide. No human deaths have been reported in South Korea.
kokobj@yna.co.kr
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