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Bird Flu Outbreak in North Korea Contained, United Nations Says

U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization calls for ongoing disease surveillance

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports successful containment of an outbreak of a bird flu virus in North Korean poultry.

With the culling of hundreds of thousands of birds and vaccination of others, the spread of the avian influenza strain - found to be H7 -- has been stopped, according to an April 25 FAO press release.  FAO experts went to North Korea to assist in the containment operation, and decided the strain found there was not the more dangerous H5N1 strain that has stricken other Asian nations.

An FAO press release says the North Korean response was prompt and appropriate but urged continued surveillance of bird flu.

Human cases of influenza caused by the H5N1 have been reported in three nations, with 51 deaths, according to international health officials. (See related article.)

Disease experts are concerned about the appearance of human cases because widespread transmission among humans could lead to a global flu pandemic. Since H5N1 has only appeared in humans in recent years, immune resistance would be low and fatalities could be high, experts fear.

Further information on bird flu and the international health campaign to prevent it is available on World Health Organization's Web site.  Further information is also available on the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site.

The text of the FAO press release follows:

(begin text)

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
helping to build a world without hunger

FAO Newsroom

Bird flu outbreak in North Korea contained

25 April 2005, Rome - The recent outbreak of avian influenza in North Korea (DPRK) has been successfully contained, FAO said today, urging the country to continue surveillance on the affected farms and elsewhere to ensure that no residual infection remains.

An H7 strain of the bird flu virus had been detected recently on three poultry farms near the capital Pyongyang. Although this virus caused severe disease in chickens it is not directly related to the H5N1 avian influenza virus circulating in other parts of Asia.

"The virus appears to have been eliminated from the three infected farms by combining culling of around 218 000 infected chickens, vaccination of unaffected birds in unaffected poultry houses and strict biosecurity measures," said FAO consultant Les Sims, who traveled to Pyongyang to advise the North Korean veterinary authorities on bird flu control.

North Korea has acted promptly and appropriately and has provided essential information in a timely manner, Sims said, and the official declaration to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) was done in due time. FAO sent three experts to the country to assist national authorities in diagnosis and disease management. This was done through the East Asian Regional Network on Avian Influenza set up by FAO.

FAO urged North Korea to continue bird flu surveillance throughout the country.

"Reagents and laboratory tools provided by FAO will assist in continuing the battle against the virus, but additional strengthening of veterinary diagnostic and surveillance capacity is seen as a priority to ensure that this work is completed," said Joseph Domenech, FAO's Chief Veterinary Officer.

(end text)

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)