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In the first 10 days of April bird flu has been detected in 9 farms in South Korea, and an additional 13 farms are being tested. While all of the reported outbreaks involve the H5 strain of the virus, thus far there has only been confirmation of H5N1 in two of the cases.
S. Korea reports ninth confirmed bird flu outbreak
Health authorities have culled hundreds of thousands of birds in and around infected poultry farms in the southern provinces. -- PHOTO: AP
SEOUL - SOUTH Korea on Thursday confirmed its ninth bird flu outbreak this month despite the culling of hundreds of thousands of poultry and intensive quarantine efforts.
The agriculture ministry said in a statement the country had another 13 suspected cases in which test results were awaited.
Ministry officials said all nine confirmed cases involved H5 bird flu and two of them involved the deadly H5N1 strain.
Health authorities have culled hundreds of thousands of birds in and around infected poultry farms in the southern Jeolla provinces, a hub of the country's livestock industry.
They have also imposed restrictions on the movement of birds, people and vehicles in the region, which reported this year's first outbreak last week.
The ninth confirmed case was at a chicken farm in Gimje, 260km south of Seoul.
South Korea reported seven cases of H5N1 infection between November 2006 and March last year, resulting in the temporary suspension of poultry exports to Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and elsewhere.
But last June the World Organisation for Animal Health classified the country as free from the disease.
The H5N1 strain has killed more than 230 people worldwide since late 2003. No South Koreans have contracted the disease. -- AFP
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