South Korea announce new bird flu outbreak

The latest case of the deadly H5N1 bird flu disease has been confirmed in South Korea.

Confirmation was announced by the Ministry of Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries on Sunday of the outbreak in the South Jeolla province, 200 miles south of Seoul.

Four suspected cases of bird flu have been confirmed and quarantine restrictions have been put in place to restrict any further outbreaks.

Birds at 20 farms in the region are being culled and officials are continuing to test other animals that may be infected, according to the South Jeolla provincial livestock office.

According to World Health Organisation figures, there have been 238 human deaths from the H5N1 strain of bird flu worldwide since 2003.

Earlier this week reports of human-to-human transmission of the H5N1 strain was reported in China. A case published in medical journal The Lancet reported that a father diagnosed with the disease caught it from his infected son.