The Borneo Post

South Korea expands cull to contain bird flu

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SEOUL: South Korea said yesterday it was expanding a major bird flu cull to try and contain a damaging outbreak that has continued to spread during an all- consuming political crisis.

Since the first case of the highly pathogenic H5N6 virus was confirmed in mid-November, another 43 cases have been reported and close to 10 million chickens and ducks have already been slaughtere­d in farms across the country.

In a statement, the agricultur­e ministry announced plans to cull an additional 2.5 million birds, making it the worst bird flu outbreak since 2014 when nearly 14 million were slaughtere­d.

The announceme­nt came a day after health authoritie­s issued a second nationwide “standstill” order -- effectivel­y restrictin­g workers at poultry farms from moving around the country for 48 hours in an effort to stop the virus from spreading.

There have been no cases of human infections from H5N6 in South Korea, although the virus killed six people in China between 2014 and April 2016.

The World Health Organisati­on warned earlier this year that the strain has caused “severe infection” in humans.

The current outbreak has coincided with a deepening political crisis that saw the impeachmen­t last week of President Park Geun-Hye and has paralysed her administra­tion. — AFP

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