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A new case of the deadly avian influenza was detected in Ansong, Gyeonggi Province on Saturday, the sixth case of bird flu detected in Korea since Nov. 2006. The last outbreak was in Chonan, South Chungcheong Province on Jan. 20. This is the third case of bird flu found in Gyeonggi Province, following outbreaks in Icheon in Dec. 2003 and Yangju in March 2004.
According to the Gyeonggi provincial government, the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service investigated a mass death of chickens that began last Tuesday at a poultry farm owned by a man identified only by his surname Park. The researchers confirmed that the chickens died from avian influenza.
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City officials in protective clothing head to a poultry farm where avian influenza was found in Ansong, Gyeonggi Province on Saturday.
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The local authority decided to slaughter 316,000 animals including chickens, ducks and other poultry from 31 farms within a 3-km radius of the outbreak site and 7,000 pigs and other animals from five farms within a 500-meter radius. All 133,000 chickens from Park¡¯s Ansong poultry farm and a further 137,000 chickens at another farm owned by Park in Icheon will be destroyed as well.
The transport of chickens and eggs from 14 farms within a 3- to 10-km radius of the outbreak has been regulated, and 30,000 eggs that were sent to Seoul for sale last Friday from Park's poultry farm are to be destroyed.
A government official said it is unlikely that the Ansong outbreak originated with the Chonan case in January because the incubation period was over 20 days and the outbreaks were more than 50km apart.
¡°We are investigating the possibility that the virus was spread by migratory birds passing by Chungmichun, a river about 1km from the village,¡± said the official.
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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