South Korea confirms 1st case of bird flu in 6 months

SEOUL: South Korea on Wednesday confirmed a highly pathogenic avian influenza or bird flu case at a duck farm for the first time in about six months, the Agriculture Ministry said.

The case was first reported Tuesday at the farm in the southeastern county of Yecheon, 165 km southeast of Seoul, and the authorities confirmed the highly pathogenic strain of H5N1 earlier in the day, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo ordered the authorities to cull poultry within a 500-metre radius of the farm, as part of precautionary measures to stop the highly contagious viral disease from spreading.

The country last reported a bird flu case in April this year.

Upon the report, the authorities cordoned off the farm and have implemented quarantine measures, including the culling of some 9,800 ducks, as a preventive step, the Ministry said.