The U.S. has largely forgotten about the bird flu since its brief scare over a decade ago, but recent outbreaks of the virus in other countries have forced the entire world to remain on high-alert.
According to Tech Times, agriculture officials in Seoul, South Korea, recently announced that a local poultry farm had been stricken with avian influenza, which is more commonly referred to as bird flu.
When dozens of ducks on the farm suddenly died, the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency launched an investigation to determine the cause of death. As a result, the agency found the bird flu strain known as H5N8 present in the deceased ducks.
This same strain of bird flu was also found four months ago on a farm in Incheon, which is about 50 miles east of Seoul. Soon after this initial bird flu scare, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs announced that all 10,900 ducks on the affected farm were slaughtered to prevent the virus from spreading.
In order to contain this current threat, South Korean officials have set up control posts around the farm to prevent outsiders from entering. Jeju Island, a popular international destination for corporate conferences and meetings, has temporarily stopped accepting poultry, eggs, and meat from Seoul.
Over 40 known viruses and 60 diseases are directly associated with birds, and avian flu is generally regarded as the most dangerous. The world became aware of bird flu in 1997 when 18 people became infected with the disease, causing six people to lose their lives.
As The Jakarta Post reported, South Korea is not the only place that has dealt with a bird flu scare in recent times. Last month, about 20 chickens died in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta after contracting bird flu.
Jakarta’s Maritime, Agriculture, and Food Sovereignty office immediately issued an alert to the rest of the country about the potential spread of bird flu. Local authorities then checked dozens of households that were purported to be raising chickens on residential properties, which is illegal in the city.
Bird flu is highly lethal in animals, but it’s even more dangerous for humans. The virus causes a wide array of serious respiratory issues, in addition to headaches and body weakness, which can eventually lead to death.
The most recent bird flu outbreak caused America’s egg industry to lose millions of dollars as consumers were afraid to consume poultry products. However, there has still never been a case of bird flu being transmitted to humans in the United States.
