# 5215
Over the past two weeks we’ve seen reports of more than a half dozen H5N1 outbreaks at poultry farms located in the southern and west-central regions of South Korea.
Today we learn that the bird flu virus has jumped to Anseong, about 50 miles south of Seoul. This marks the 9th farm outbreak since the end of December.
2011/01/10 15:48 KST
Bird flu spreads to northern S. Korea
SEOUL, Jan. 10 (Yonhap) -- South Korea confirmed its first bird flu outbreak in the Gyeonggi region near Seoul on Monday, raising concerns that the highly contagious disease is spreading across the country despite quarantine efforts.
The farm ministry said a duck farm in Anseong, 77 kilometers south of Seoul, tested positive for the virulent strain of the H5N1 avian influenza after birds started dying off over the weekend.
The case is the first to be reported in the province surrounding the capital city in nearly three years. Avian influenza is an airborne disease that can be transmitted to humans, although there has never been a case of a South Korean getting sick.
Authorities said the Anseong outbreak is the ninth confirmed in the country this winter after the first bird flu cases were confirmed by quarantine authorities on Dec. 31.
Reportedly, over the past two weeks nearly 200,000 birds from infected farms have been culled, with many more birds destroyed at neighboring farms in an attempt to block the further spread of the virus.
At the same time, Korea’s agricultural industry is dealing with the worst FMD outbreak in their history (see South Korea Battles Bird Flu, FMD).
The last outbreak of bird flu in Korea occurred in April-May of 2008, during which time more than 8 million birds were culled.
For now, bird flu remains primarily a threat to birds, and the world’s poultry industry, as the virus remains poorly adapted to human physiology.
The concern, of course, is that over time that may change. And so the world remains at Pre-pandemic Phase III on the H5N1 virus, and we continue to watch for any signs that the virus is adapting to humans.
