Nearly 15,000 Poultry Culled In Seoul To Prevent Bird Flu

Seoul, South Korea (AHN) - South Korea on Monday slaughtered and buried around 15,000 poultry in Seoul to prevent further spreading of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in the capital. Quarantine officials reported culling chickens, ducks, pheasants and turkeys raised in farms, restaurants, schools and homes in the capital.

Monday's culling resulted from a second case of bird flu confirmed in Seoul on Sunday, less than a week after the first one was detected. On Sunday, two outbreaks of the H5N1 virus were reported in poultry farms in Busan, country's second largest city, and Ansung.

The bird flu has spread throughout the country since the government confirmed an outbreak of the epidemic in southwestern part of the country early April. Some 6.8 million chickens and ducks have been slaughtered nationwide since the country's latest bird flu outbreak was reported on April 1 but some 36 cases have still been reported across most of the country.

However, no human infections have been confirmed in the current outbreak. In an attempt to prevent the spread of the disease, the South Korean government has banned the trade of live chickens and ducks at traditional markets.