Cat In S Korea Infected With Deadly H5N1 Strain Of Bird Flu
SEOUL (AFP)--A cat found dead in a South Korean city was infected with a virulent strain of bird flu, the first mammal in the country known to have had the H5N1 virus, health officials said Tuesday.
They said it was the first report of a cat having had the virus since a case in Thailand in 1996, but there was little risk to humans as there has never been a known transmission of the virus from a cat to other mammals.
"It is quite rare for a cat to be infected by the avian flu virus," Cho Hyun-ho, a deputy director of the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, said.
Cats and dogs aren't usually susceptible to the virus so quarantine officials don't usually check them, but restrict checks to animals that have regular contact with birds.
The cat was found dead in April in Gimje, about 250 km south of Seoul.
"It probably had eaten a sick bird or came in very close contact with chickens or ducks," an unidentified quarantine inspector told the South Korean Yonhap news agency.
"Still, it's a shame to waste it," said the inspector flicking through the ever-popular "101 Ways To Stir Fry Your Pet" - Nogger
Bird Flu Back in Britain
The Chief Veterinary Officer, Nigel Gibbens, has today confirmed Avian Influenza in chickens on premises near Banbury in Oxfordshire after preliminary tests were positive for the H7 strain. All birds on the premises will be slaughtered as a precautionary measure.
Laboratory testing continues and results which will allow confirmation of whether the strain is high or low pathogenicity will follow. A detailed epidemiological investigation to better understand the origin and development of the disease is underway.
A Temporary Control Zone with a 3km inner zone and a 10km outer zone is being established around the Infected Premises. A number of measures apply. All birds must be housed or otherwise isolated from contact with wild birds in the inner zone. Bird gatherings are banned and all other movements of birds and some products are banned in the whole of the Temporary Control Zone. Defra is urgently considering whether any wider measures may be needed.
Poultry keepers are urged to be extremely vigilant, practice the highest levels of biosecurity and report any suspicions of disease to their local Animal Health Office immediately.
