South Korean Cat Had The H5N1 Bird Flu

a possibilty that household pets such as dogs could also be infected

News reports coming in from Korea have confirmed that a cat which was found dead in the city of Gimje about 150 miles south of the capital city Seoul died from the effects of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.

This is not the first time that a cat has died from the bird flu virus as scientists have been aware for some time now that they are particularly susceptible to the virus.  There have been no reported cases of humans getting infected with bird flu transmitted through a cat though there has been speculation that should a full blown bird flu pandemic break out cats will be a major transmitter of the virus. There is also a possibilty that household pets such as dogs could also be infected and pass on the disease.

A director from the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service in South Korea confirmed that it was rare for cats to catch the bird flu virus. Quarantine officials in Korea said that the cat had likely become sick from eating an infected bird or from close contact with them.

The city of Gimje had been particularly badly hit by the H5N1 bird flu virus earlier this year and millions of poultry had to be culled to contain the virus and stop its rapid spread. No one in South Korea has been officially reported to have been contaminated with the bird flu virus even though most of its neighboring countries in Asia have all reported human deaths. 

No bird flu vaccine has yet to be discovered which will completely protect against the effects of the H5N1 bird flu virus but the World Health Organization recommends that the influenza medication Tamiflu must be stockpiled by nations to protect their citizens in the event of a full on pandemic occurring.