MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the Yonhap news agency, citing the Ministry for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, ducks at a farm in the northwestern city of Icheon tested positive for avian influenza. Almost 11,000 ducks were culled, while the farm was quarantined.
The last time Seoul reported a bird flu case was in November 2015.
Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is a respiratory disease that can be transmitted to humans from bird species. The first time the virus was found to have affected people was in 1997, when the flu struck 18 people, six of whom died.
The H7N7 strain can affect various animal species, but is particularly dangerous for birds. It could potentially affect humans, although only through close contact with the infected animals.
