RETURN OF BIRD FLU TO SOUTH KOREA SPARKS CULL

South Korea has confirmed its first outbreak of avian flu since 2008 and is culling many thousands of birds.

The agricultural ministry confirmed that two farms in the centre and south-west of the country had been contaminated with the H5N1 virus.
31 December 2010 Last updated at 04:31 GMT



So far, more than 100,000 chickens have been culled and more than 10,000 ducks.

South Korea was the second country in Asia to register bird flu, after Thailand, in 2003, suffering three major outbreaks until 2008.

Earlier this month, officials in Seoul confirmed that three cases of bird flu had been found in wild migratory birds that had arrived for winter.

The authorities have warned poultry farmers to take better precautions against wild birds infecting their flocks, including the erection of nets.

The latest outbreak was first detected on Wednesday when birds started dying.

One of the poultry farms affected is in the central city of Cheonan and the other is in the south-western city of Iksan, 90km (56 miles) and 230km (143 miles) south of Seoul, respectively.

Both are now under quarantine, meaning that the movements of people and vehicles are restricted.

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