North Korea Asks South Korea for Bird Flu Help
North Korea has asked South Korea for help in combating an outbreak of bird flu.
North Korea sent the request through an inter-Korean border hotline, South Korea's Unification Ministry said Friday. North Korea requested medical goods and quarantine equipment to help it contain the spread of bird flu, which was announced by the communist country on Feb. 25, Agence France-Presse reported.
North Korea sent a similar request Thursday to the World Organization for Animal Health and asked for international assistance in fighting the bird flu outbreak.
So far, North Korea has destroyed about 210,000 chickens in an effort to contain the disease. The H7 bird flu strain that's affecting North Korea is unlikely to spread to humans, experts said.
Other parts of Asia have been hit by the H5N1 bird flu strain, which has killed 50 people recently and millions of birds.
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