12.01.2011

South Korea, already battling a serious outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, has raised its avian influenza alert level after detecting the H5N1 avian influenza virus at poultry farms in four provinces (16 cases).

There have been 34 suspected cases of avian influenza poultry, with 16 cases confirmed.  

Outbreaks of avian influenza have prompted the authorities to cull 470,000 poultry, while continuing the quarantine of commercial duck and chicken breeding farms in affected areas.

The outbreak of avian influenza was first confirmed on Dec. 31 in ducks in the city of Cheonan, South Chungcheong province, and in chickens in the city of Iksan in North Jeolla province.