Bird Flu Found at Public Animal Research Center

Bird flu has been detected at a government-run facility for animal research despite stringent efforts to contain the spread of the highly contagious virus.

An official at the Agriculture Ministry on Monday said the H5N8 strain of avian influenza was detected in a duck that had been raised at the National Institute of Animal Science.

The institute in South Chuncheong Province is just 3 km from a duck farm in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province where bird flu broke out. Test results will be available on Tuesday to determine whether the virus was the pathogenic strain.

The agriculture ministry decided to cull all birds being raised at the institute.

The institute studies animal genes and raises more than 1,000 chicken and around 5,000 ducks.