02.02.2015

Avian influenza has been detected in a dog at a duck farm in Goseong, South Gyeongsang Province, which reported an outbreak of the poultry disease last month. A sample test showed the dog might have been infected with the virus after eating infected ducks at the farm. There were three dogs at the farm, but the other two dogs tested negative, which means there was no dog-to-dog transmission. According to the ministry, the dog was carrying the H5N8 strain of the virus. This is the second time that a dog has been with the virus in Korea following the first case in March last year. However this is the first case involving the H5N8 strain. The first case of trans-species transmission in Korea took place in March last year in Cheonan, South Chungcheon Province. The authorities detected antibodies to the H5N1 antigen in a dog at the farm - the dog was put down immediately.