SEOUL: A highly contagious bird flu, strains of which are deadly to humans, has killed thousands of chickens and ducks in central Republic of Korea (ROK), an agriculture official said yesterday.

Authorities have culled thousands more in an effort to contain the disease.

Tests found the bird flu was caused by the H5N1 virus. Authorities are still investigating whether it is the deadly H5N1-97 strain that crossed from chickens to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people, a Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry official said on condition of anonymity.

ROK began its probe after 20,000 chickens died at a farm in the town of Umsung, southeast of Seoul, earlier this month.

Since then, the agriculture ministry has culled 5,000 other chickens at the farm as a precaution and has quarantined poultry within a 10 kilometre radius.

Yesterday, ducks at a farm near Umsung also tested positive for the bird flu, and authorities ordered 3,300 of the ducks be killed and buried.

Government said yesterday it was carrying out precautionary blood tests on farmers after the outbreak of highly contagious strain of bird flu, which can in rare cases be deadly to humans.

Agencies via Xinhua

(China Daily 12/17/2003 page1)