South Korea has confirmed its third outbreak in three weeks of highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu after about 4,000 quail died at a southern farm.
The confirmation by the Agriculture and Forestry Ministry of the outbreak of H5N1, the strain of bird flu that can also infect humans, was the third since last month in North Cholla province, 160 miles south Seoul. Before these outbreaks, South Korea had not reported any cases of H5N1 avian influenza in three years.
The latest outbreak occurred on a quail farm.
“Since December 7, about 4,000 quails have been killed at this farm,” said Lee Sang Gil, a senior official at the Agriculture Ministry.