Avian Influenza In Our Province

I received a notice from the State Department today regarding the fact that Avian Influenza ("AI" for short here) is alive and well in South Korea.

We have known for nearly 3 weeks that it was found here, in our province, but has recently spread closer to Seoul. One of my adult morning classes discussed a national editorial calling for stricter penalties for farmers who discover dead poultry, but fail to notify authorities immediately. This was the case here. The typical "season" for bird flu normally ends at the end of the winter, but this year, everyone was caught off-guard, by the in-April cases. Here's what the State Department had to tell those of us living and working here:

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is transmitting the following information through the Embassy's warden system as a public service to all U.S. citizens in the Republic of Korea.

Korean media have reported several instances of the H5N1 strain of avian flu in poultry on farms throughout South Korea since April 3. The Korean government continues to investigate these outbreaks. Last week the Korean government raised its alert level for avian influenza from "Yellow" (alert) to "Orange" (alarm), which means that all poultry raised within three kilometers of suspected bird flu locations will be slaughtered.

The Embassy urges Americans in South Korea to follow reports in the media and to take precautions as suggested by the State Department at http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_3096.htmlFor additional up-to-date information on avian flu and a list of other sources of information, please see the Embassy website at http://seoul.usembassy.gov/avian_flu2.html. Also please visit the U.S. Government’s official clearinghouse on pandemics at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/avian/.

Also, please note that if you are living in Korea, or any place, other than the States, the State Department asks the following:

We encourage you, as an American living or traveling in South Korea, to register with the Embassy through the State Department’s travel registration website, http://travelregistration.state.gov/. Americans without Internet access may register in person at the Embassy. Registration is a voluntary way of telling us that you, as an American citizen, are in Korea, whether for a long-term stay or for a short visit. In the event of an emergency, we use registration information to communicate with you. This could include a family emergency in which relatives in the United States request that the Embassy contact you. Registration also automatically signs you up to receive our emailed monthly newsletter and periodic warden messages about safety, security, and other topics, such as voting.

Registering allows you to receive this type of email, as warranted.