South Korea Fights New Bird Flu Outbreak!!

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) -- South Korean officials said Monday they have killed all poultry in Seoul, the capital, to curb the spread of bird flu following a new outbreak of the disease in the city.

Quarantine officials destroyed 15,000 chickens, ducks, pheasants and turkeys raised in farms, restaurants, schools and homes in the capital, said Kim Yoon-kyu, a Seoul Metropolitan Government official.

On Monday night, government tests confirmed the latest outbreak in Seoul was caused by the deadly H5N1 virus, said Yoon Young-ku, a spokesman at the Agriculture Ministry.

The tests also confirmed two additional outbreaks of the virus in Busan, bringing to 31 the total number of outbreaks in South Korea, he said.

Bird flu began sweeping southern parts of the country last month for the first time in more than a year, forcing the slaughter of about 6.8 million birds.

Worldwide, at least 241 people have died from bird flu since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. Most human cases have been linked to contact with infected poultry.