One million ducks, chickens face death in bird flu outbreak

NEARLY a million chickens and ducks will be slaughtered across South Korea to combat a highly contagious strain of bird flu that has spread across the country and could also infect humans, the government said yesterday.

Avian influenza, which in rare cases can be deadly to humans, has caused poultry sales to tumble as authorities confirm outbreaks at farm after farm across the country.

“To contain the spread of the diseases, we have decided to conduct intensified disinfection measures,” a statement from the agriculture ministry said.