After an outbreak of H5N1 bird flu at a farm in South Korea, authorities say they plan to cull cats, dogs and pigs to stem the spread of the virus. As there is no evidence that humans can catch bird flu from cats and dogs, experts say the measure is a bit over the top.
125,000 poultry have already been slaughtered at and around the farm in Iksan, 150 miles south of Seoul, where the H5N1 outbreak took place. Ministry of Agriculture officials say all poultry within a half-kilometer radius of the farm will be destroyed. About 240,000 chickens will eventually be slaughtered, as well as 5 or 6 million eggs.
Officials did not say how many dogs, cats and pigs will be culled. Outside Korea, the only place other animals, apart from birds, that have been destroyed has been Indonesia, where pigs were killed to stem the spread of bird flu. In 2003/2004 South Korea destroyed 5.3 million birds and an unspecified number of cats and dogs.
Other countries do slaughter cats and dogs, they just don’t admit to it, say South Korean officials. Peter Roeder, Food and Agricultural Organization, Rome, Italy, told the Associated Press the measure is highly unusual and not a science-based decision.
Japan and Hong Kong have ‘temporarily’ suspended poultry imports from South Korea.
Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today