# 1951
The battle against bird flu in South Korea continues, with news that the avian flu virus (exact strain unknown) has been detected in a handful of birds at an aviary in that nation's capital city.
This from the Korean Times.
05-06-2008 19:01
By Kim Tae-jong
Staff ReporterAvian influenza was reported to have reached Seoul, Tuesday, 35 days after the first outbreak in the southwestern provinces. The ``ambush'' on the capital comes as public concern has been focused on fears over mad cow disease associated with imports of U.S. beef.
The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries confirmed the presence of avian flu at an aviary in Gwangjin, eastern Seoul, the first in the capital since the outbreak on April 1 in southwestern Jeolla Province.
The authorities have taken quarantine measures to prevent the flu from spreading further by decontaminating the aviary and limiting access to a nearby children's park and open market. They have yet to confirm if the disease is the H5N1 strain that can also be deadly to humans.
According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government, it first received a report that two pheasants were found dead on April 28 and later one turkey and two chickens.
The National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service (NVRQS) examined the cause of the deaths and confirmed that the birds died of avian flu.
``We advise citizens to wash their hands after outdoor activities and avoid physical contact with birds,'' a city official said during a news conference at the City Hall.
NVQRS officials killed and buried all the chickens, ducks, pheasants and turkeys at the aviary and closed it down.
They said it was unlikely that the disease will spread into the urban environment, but have killed some 220 birds and disinfected others after sealing off the Children's Grand Park, 1.2 kilometers away from the aviary, and Gyeongdong market where poultry is sold.
``The chances are slim for our birds to be infected by bird flu. But we've taken precautionary measures and decided to kill birds vulnerable to the disease,'' an official from the park said.
Meanwhile, the government said it will immediately kill and bury poultry from farms where a suspected avian influenza outbreak is reported.
