| ■ South Korea Declares Nationwide Bird Flu Alert | 2008.04.22 |
| In response to a number of bird flu outbreaks since early April, the South Korean government on Wednesday issued a nationwide bird flu alert, Agence France-Presse reported. Troops have been deployed and firefighters put on standby as part of the effort to try to contain the spread of the disease. There have been 20 confirmed outbreaks involving the H5 virus and the deadly H5N1 virus has been confirmed as the cause of at least six of them. The agriculture ministry is investigating 14 more suspected outbreaks of bird flu. There have been no reports of human infections. So far, 2.2 million chickens and ducks have been slaughtered in and around infected farms, mainly in the South and North Jeolla provinces, AFP reported.. |