Government vows to step up bird flu fight ( 08/05/09 ) | |||||
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Part | Charger | myjoe | date | 08/05/09 | |
The government will announce a comprehensive scheme today to cope with the bird flu that has spread across the nation since its first outbreak last month.
After being initially discovered in the southwestern Jeolla region, the virus spread to the southeastern Gyeongsang region and Gyeonggi Province, finally hitting Seoul last week. The flu continued to make its way to Gangwon Province and other parts of Gyeonggi Province yesterday.
The government and the ruling Grand National Party plan to hold an emergency meeting this afternoon, a move that comes after state health authorities issued urgent warnings to all hospitals across Seoul on Wednesday.
"The fact that bird flu was discovered at the nature learning center in Seoul highlights the seriousness of the problem," said Cho Yoon-sun, the spokeswoman for the ruling Grand National Party. "There`s a great possibility that public health may have been affected by the incident since tens of thousands of citizens visited the nearby park located in the capital on May 5, Children`s Day."
Over half a million people visited the nearby Children`s Grand Park on Children`s Day, following the deaths of two pheasants and five other birds, which were confirmed to have bird flu, in Gwangjin, eastern Seoul. This is the first time the virus has hit the capital.
The National Veternary Research and Quarantine Service said another case of highly pathogenic avian influenza - which could lead to disease in people - was additionally discovered from some 58 dead ducks and chickens in Chuncheon, Gangwon Province.
As a follow-up measure, the regional government held blood tests and medical examinations, as well as administering antiviral drug Tamiflu to those most vulnerable to the virus, such as residents living in farming areas and health officials in charge of decontamination, its officials said. A public health center in the region was also designated as an avian influenza emergency care center to effectively deal with the bird flu virus.
In Anseong, Gyeonggi Province, about 14,000 ducks were slaughtered yesterday, after a test showed that the ducks were most likely infected with avian influenza. However, the outcome of a detailed examination to determine whether it is highly contagious avian influenza, will be revealed this morning.
So far, a total of 34 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza have been confirmed nationwide, excluding the case in Chuncheon, Gyeonggi Province, according to the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. A final test result must show that the birds are positively infected with the virus to become a confirmed infection case.
Koreaherald, 2008-05-09
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