Scientists: Bird flu may be endemic to S. Korea

[unhappycamper]

Scientists: Bird flu may be endemic to S. Korea
By Ashley Rowland, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, May 14, 2008

SEOUL — Scientists are trying to determine if avian flu has become endemic in South Korea’s wild birds, meaning it’s a threat year-round and not just during the winter migratory season, a U.S. military health official said Monday.

Health workers have confirmed two cases of the H5N1 virus in Seoul in the past week and a half. Other cases have been confirmed throughout the rest of the country in recent weeks.

In Japan, a small outbreak of avian flu occurred near Misawa Air Base several weeks ago.

"Are we just going to have to live with H5N1 in the area?" said Lt. Col. Eric Lund, a U.S. Forces Korea preventive medicine consultant. "Every time we go to the zoo, we say to our kids, ‘Don’t touch the birds,’ but this time we’ll really mean it."

The Associated Press reported Monday that South Korean officials said they had killed all 15,000 poultry in South Korea’s capital and will prevent live poultry from being brought into the city.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=54760