Published Date: 2003-12-16 23:50:00
Subject: PRO/AH/EDR> Avian influenza - South Korea (03): confirmed
Archive Number: 20031216.3070
AVIAN INFLUENZA - SOUTH KOREA (03): CONFIRMED
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Date: Mon 15 Dec 2003
From: ProMED-mail <promed@promedmail.org>
Source: Reuters News, Mon 15 Dec 2003 [edited]
<http://www.reuters.com/locales/newsArticle.jsp?type=worldNews&locale=en_IN&storyID=3992425>
South Korea: avian influenza A(H5N1) virus outbreak confirmed
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South Korea said on Mon 15 Dec 2003 it had confirmed a case of a highly
contagious type of bird flu, which can be deadly to humans, at a chicken
farm [at Umsung 40 miles to the south east of] Seoul. "We have confirmed
highly [pathogenic] avian influenza, known as H5N1 [that is, caused by
avian influenza A(H5N1) virus], in chickens," an Agriculture Ministry
official told Reuters.
Since early December 2003 about 21 000 chickens have died at the farm,
which is about 80 km south east of Seoul. As a precaution, the official
said, authorities had now destroyed all the remaining 5000 chickens there.
In rare instances strains of highly pathogenic avian influenza can be
lethal to humans, as well as devastating for poultry. The H5N1 strain
killed 6 people in Hong Kong in 1997 and 1998. [Early in December 2003 in
Hong Kong, a 5 year old boy came down with an avian influenza A(H5N1) virus
infection, but not the same H5N1 strain that caused the outbreak of fatal
disease in 1997. The boy has since recovered. The 1997 outbreak, which was
responsible for limited human-to-human transmission, forced the government
to slaughter 1.4 million chickens in Hong Kong. - Mod.CP]
South Korea's poultry industry has 100 million chickens mainly for local
consumption, with little in the way of exports, official data showed. Since
1996, South Korea has only reported cases of low pathogenic avian
influenza. The ministry said it was monitoring farms within a 10 km radius
of the affected farm.
--
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[Earlier in 2003 the Netherlands, the world's 4th largest poultry exporter,
slaughtered around 26 million birds at some 250 farms to contain an
outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza caused by an avian influenza
A(H7N7) virus. Limited human-to-human transmission of influenza occurred in
the course of this outbreak. The disease also spread to Belgium and
Germany, although on a smaller scale than in the Netherlands. All 3
countries later resumed poultry exports. So far there has been no
suggestion of any human-to-human transmission of influenza in association
with the outbreak of avian A(H5N1) virus infection in South Korea. - Mod.CP]
See Also
Avian influenza - South Korea (02): OIE 20031213.3049Avian influenza - South Korea: suspected 20031212.3047
Influenza A (H9N2), child - China (Hong Kong) (02) 20031210.3028
Influenza, H5N1 human case - China (Hong Kong) (05) 20030228.0500
Influenza, H5N1 human case - China (Hong Kong) 20030219.0428
Avian influenza, human - Netherlands (13) 20030501.1092
Avian influenza, human - Netherlands (12) 20030425.1011
Avian influenza, human - Netherlands (11) 20030423.0991
Avian Influenza, human - Netherlands (10): fatal case 20030420.0967
Avian Influenza, human - Netherlands (09): fatal case 20030419.0959
Avian Influenza, human - Netherlands (08) 20030327.0762
Avian influenza, human - Netherlands 20030311.0594
1999
---
Influenza A (H9N2), bird-to-human - China (HK) (03) 19990415.0622
Influenza A (H9N2), bird-to-human - China (Guandong) 19990409.0587
Influenza A (H9N2), bird-to-human - China (HK) (02) 19990409.0586
Influenza A (H9N2), bird-to-human - China (Hong Kong): REPOST 19990408.0578
Influenza A (H9N2), bird-to-human - China (Hong Kong) 19990407.0566
1997
---
Influenza, bird-to-human - China (Hong Kong) (30) 19971231.2566
Influenza, bird-to-human, China (Hong Kong) (17) 19971216.2484
Influenza, bird-to-man - China (Hong Kong) (16) 19971214.2479
Influenza, bird-to-man - China (Hong Kong) (15) 19971212.2468
Influenza, bird-to-man, - China (Hong Kong) (14) 19971210.2460
Influenza, bird-to-man - China (Hong Kong) (13) 19971210.2459
Influenza, bird-to-man, - China (Hong Kong) (12) 19971209.2452
Influenza, bird-to-man transmission - China (Hong Kong) (10) 19971206.2438
Influenza, bird-to-man transmission (09) 19971117.2306
Influenza, bird-to-man, first case? (08) 19971025.2186
Influenza, bird-to-man, first case? (02) 19970821.1750
Influenza, bird-to-man, first case? 19970820.1747
.........................cp/pg/sh
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