Bird flu spreads in South Korea (fifth outbreak, mallard duck connection)

AP ^ | 01/20/07

[TigerLikesRooster]

Bird flu spreads in South Korea

1 hour, 2 minutes ago

Bird flu has spread in South Korea to a fifth farm, officials have said, despite stepped up government efforts to contain outbreaks of the deadly virus in recent weeks.

The agriculture ministry said bird flu has been discovered in a village within a 10-kilometre quarantine zone established after a previous outbreak on a chicken farm last month.

"Test results confirmed breeding chickens at a poultry farm at Punge village were infected with high pathological bird flu virus," the ministry said in a statement.

Officials have ordered culling of thousands of chickens on the farm and area surrounding the village near the central city of Cheonan, 90 kilometers (56 miles) south of Seoul.

"Immediate culling of 270,000 birds within a radius of 500 meters from the farm was ordered," the ministry said, adding that movement of birds and eggs within a 10-kilometre radius was banned.

The ministry blamed migrating wild geese for spreading the highly contagious virus saying the strain was the same as one found among wild birds in northeastern China.

"High pathological AI (avian influenza) virus was confirmed in wild birds' excrement sampled near the same farm in Pungse village and around Miho stream, some 20 kilometers off," it said.

"Once again, the ministry calls on poultry farms to take measures to keep wild birds off and urges restraint in visiting wild birds' resting places," it said.

Officials have slaughtered some 1.2 million birds at farms near the southern cities of Iksan, Gimje and Asan after the country's first case of bird flu in almost three years was confirmed on November 25.

South Korea was hit hard by bird flu between December 2003 and March 2004, prompting the cull of 5.3 million poultry costing about one billion dollars.

Bird flu has killed more than 150 people worldwide since late 2003 and there remain fears it may become a far more highly contagious disease that could trigger a deadly, global pandemic.

[TigerLikesRooster]

The local media reports that habitat of mallard ducks are several miles away from the site of outbreak. They suspect those ducks may be the source.

By the way, the above article misspelled the name of village where outreak occurred. It is not Punge, but Pung-seh (or Poong-seh.)

[TigerLikesRooster]

Fifth Outbreak, Ping!

[LucyT]

Ping.

[Judith Anne]

Thanks for the ping. I wonder what is happening up north.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #4

The report from the North says that Scarlet Fever is spreading wide in N.E. part of the country. No word on bird flu yet, though.

[SevenofNine]

OH OH NOT COOL what would happen if bird flu transfer to North Korea that be epidemic

[SevenofNine]

Really Tiger?

OMG Scarlet Fever that Victorian age disease

[steve86]

bird flu has been discovered in a village within a 10-kilometre quarantine zone

I'm still not clear on how they quarantine the ducks and geese /sarc

Sounds like this might be "the year".

I hope, in all sincerity, that the "horrible undoing of people and animals" does not refer to H5N1 in 2007. -- I know most everyone has seen this by now.

Nostradamus quatrain....many have noted the resemblance of the name "Mabus" to Saddam and the current appearance of Comet McNaught. (sorry to any offended by the quotation of prophetic material)...

"MABUS SOON DIES WHEN THE COMET WILL PASS."

- Nostradamus (Century 2 Quatrain 62)

"Mabus will soon die, then will come,
A horrible undoing of people and animals,
At once one will see vengeance,
One-hundred powers, thirst, famine,
when the comet will pass."

[steve86]

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #8

Now, you have done it. You got people really spooked.:-)

[steve86]

ping

[SevenofNine]

ROFL now that funny ROFL

[blam]

How High Can Birds Fly

"They may begin their nightly flights cruising around 5,000 feet then gradually climb to a top altitude around 20,000 feet. One remarkable report from a Northern Ireland air radar station showed a flock of migrating birds traveling at 29,000 feet. They were visually identified as Whooper Swans by a passing airline pilot."

I was stunned when I first heard this on a documentary about birds, 29,000 feet!

[TigerLikesRooster]

Re #13

Must be really cold up there. below -30 deg F?

[WVNight]

Any symptoms of Scarlet Fever similar to Bird flu? I seem to remember that they both involve a skin discoloration.

[blam]

"Must be really cold up there. below -30 deg F?"

Bar-Headed Geese go to 29,500 feet. I was thinking, no air!

"Bird Flu in Migrating Bar Headed Geese from India

[Smokin' Joe]

ping... (Thanks, LucyT!)

[EternalHope]

Thanks for the ping.

This is almost certainly in North Korea as well. Given the lack of food in North Korea, you can bet it is being handled differently there.

I wonder how many genetic mixing opportunities (i.e., recombination) inside dual infected people this will result in?

[Oorang]

Wow, that is a beautiful photo of the comet. DId you take the photo? Thanks BearWash.

[Oorang]

No proof on H5N1 human-to-human infection - Egyptian health official

CAIRO, Jan 20 (KUNA) -- No evidence was reached so far to prove transmission of bird flu H5N1 virus among human beings, spokesman of Egyptian Health Ministry Abdul-Rahman Shahin said Saturday.

The virus can only be transmitted from birds to humans, Shahin underlined in a press conference here.

Excerpted

http://www.kuna.net.kw/Home/Story.aspx?Language=en&DSNO=944301

Bird flu claims 62nd life in Indonesia; SKorea to cull 273,000 poultry
Saturday, Jan 20, 2007

JAKARTA, Indonesia - An Indonesian woman has died of bird flu, raising the country's death toll to 62, while South Korea was set to slaughter 273,000 poultry after an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain at a chicken farm, officials said Saturday.

Excerpted

http://www.mytelus.com/news/article.do?pageID=cp_health_home&articleID=2520591