Bird flu, or avian influenza, is a viral infection spread from bird to bird. Currently, a particularly deadly strain of bird flu - H5N1 - continues to spread among poultry. South Korea's Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said it had detected a fresh outbreak of bird flu at a farm in the country's south and ordered the culling of 12,300 fowls as a preventive measure.
South Korean authorities said they were carrying out epidemiological investigations in the affected farms, situated some 300 km southwest of Seoul, to determine whether the detected H5 strain was highly pathogenic.
Worst Bird Flu Outbreak in South Korea
South Korea has culled 33.12 million animals till Friday. The number is already more than double the previous record of 13.96 million killed in a 2014 outbreak.
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‘H5N1 is a highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus. It's deadly to most birds. And it's deadly to humans and to other mammals that catch the virus from birds.’
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The results were expected to come in by Tuesday, Yonhap news agency reported. Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon urged the Ministry to use all available resources to prevent the spread of the virus, such as implementing a ban on moving livestock between places and disinfecting farms.
Meanwhile, the Agriculture Ministry has advised people to refrain from visiting the poultry farms or wild bird sanctuaries in the area, Efe news reported.
![Latest Bird Flu Outbreak Almost Under Control: South Korea]( "Latest Bird Flu Outbreak Almost Under Control: South Korea")
The daily number of cases suspected of bird flu has dropped to one or two, indicating that the contagion is almost under control.
The country has witnessed several such outbreaks since last year, including one that led to the culling of over 33 million birds last November, making it the most extensive containment effort ever carried out in South Korea.
The mass culling caused a shortage of eggs in the Asian nation, which forced it to import around 25 million of them from the US and Spain.
Source: IANS
Latest Bird Flu Outbreak Almost Under Control: South Korea
The daily number of cases suspected of bird flu has dropped to one or two, indicating that the contagion is almost under control.
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The country has witnessed several such outbreaks since last year, including one that led to the culling of over 33 million birds last November, making it the most extensive containment effort ever carried out in South Korea.
The mass culling caused a shortage of eggs in the Asian nation, which forced it to import around 25 million of them from the US and Spain.
Source: IANS
To Curb Bird Flu, Nigerian State Culls 9,000 Birds
A total of 9,000 birds have been culled in Nigeria's Kano State as authorities move to curb the spread of bird flu which resurfaced two weeks ago in the state.
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To Check Bird Flu, Odisha Government Starts Culling PoultryThe Odisha government on Tuesday initiated the process for culling of poultry in Khurdha district after four dead crows and three dead poultry tested positive for the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus. | Advertisement
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