S.Korea temporarily bans movement of poultry to fight bird flu

SEOUL - South Korea's agriculture ministry said on Monday it will issue a temporary nationwide ban on the transportation of poultry to contain the spread of bird flu, with 43 outbreaks recorded in Asia's fourth-largest economy.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs said in a statement that the movement control order will be effective for 48 hours, from 1500 GMT on Monday or midnight in Seoul.

Since the first outbreak of a severe strain of bird flu known as H5N6 was reported on Nov.18., South Korea has ramped up quarantine measures to stop a wider spread of the virus, including issuing a 48-hour nationwide standstill order three weeks ago.

A total of 43 bird flu outbreaks had been confirmed as of Dec. 11, with another nine possible cases being tested, according to the ministry statement.

To prevent the spread of bird flu, the ministry said at least 8.8 million farm birds were culled and plans to slaughter 1.5 million more. That would be over 10 percent of the country's poultry population of nearly 85 million.

Although cases of human infections from the H5N6 virus have previously been reported elsewhere including China, no cases of human infection have been found in South Korea.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

China reports 1st death from H5N6 bird flu virus

SHANGHAI/TAIPEI - A 49-year-old man who died of acute pneumonia in Nanchong city in China's Sichuan Province was infected with the H5N6 strain of bird flu virus, health officials said.

It was the first death of a person confirmed to have been infected with the strain, according to Taiwanese health authorities, who have been in contact with the Chinese authorities.

It could be the first confirmed case of human infection with the H5N6 strain, according to Toshihiro Ito, a professor at Tottori University in Japan who is versed in avian influenza.

The H5N6 strain, a subtype of the H5 variety that is highly toxic to birds, is different from the H7N9 strain which has caused human infections in China.

The man in Sichuan had been exposed to dead birds, according to the officials.

Health authorities in China said people who had close contact with the man have shown no abnormalities and that the risk of infection spreading to other people is low. The Taiwanese authorities have urged caution among those traveling to Sichuan.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com