Battling Bird Flu

[Anchor Lead]

A ban on live poultry transactions is in effect at traditional markets in Korea to contain the spread of avian influenza. Vendors are worried that last winter's nightmare may start again ahead of the hottest period of the season, when chicken is in high demand.

[Pkg]

This is a famous poultry market on the outskirts of Seoul. All the hen cages are empty now. Vendors butchered all the hens before the ban on live poultry took effect on Monday due to yet another outbreak of avian influenza.

[Soundbite] Wholesale Vendor : "I am about to lose all the money I have earned over the past 30 years."

Alleys that are usually crowded on holidays with vehicles and customers buying poultry are now deserted. This restaurant opened last November as a place specializing in traditional chicken soup, but now it's preparing another dish to replace the chicken soup because of the ordeal caused by the worst bird flu outbreak in the nation last winter.

[Soundbite] Chicken Soup Restaurant Owner(Voice modified) : "We didn't get to sell any soup. The AI outbreak began just one week after we opened."

Although health authorities are trying to reassure the public by saying that even contaminated poultry is safe to eat when cooked for more than five minutes, few customers are willing to take the risk.

[Soundbite] Restaurant Owner(Voice modified) : "Customers don't want to eat it anymore because of avian influenza."

Consumers are worried that the outbreak may lead to another spike in the prices of chicken and eggs.

[Soundbite] Supermarket Customer : "I'm very worried. They should have contained the outbreak early on, but they failed."

The government is urging farms around the nation to cooperate with quarantine officials, as this week will likely be the most critical in the spread of avian influenza.