MOSCOW, November 18 (Sputnik) — South Korea has imposed a ban on the importation of all poultry products from Britain and the Netherlands following reported cases of avian influenza in the two countries, Yonhap news agency reported Tuesday, citing the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.
"The ministry is asking people who are visiting the affected area to avoid making contact with farm animals while also asking them to avoid bringing any poultry or meat products from the affected countries," the ministry said as quoted by the news agency.
South Korea's decision to prevent the importing of poultry from Britain and the Netherlands came after cases of bird flu were reported in Britain and the Netherlands last week.
Early on Tuesday, Macedonia also announced a temporary ban on all poultry coming from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Germany, where cases were detected even earlier, at the beginning of November.
Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is a respiratory disease that can be transmitted to humans from bird species. The first time the virus was found to have affected people was in 1997, when the flu struck 18 people, six of whom died.
