Seoul, South Korea - South Korea dispatched 200 soldiers to chicken farms Wednesday to slaughter poultry infected with bird flu, as the government confirmed another outbreak of the disease.



The Defense Ministry dispatched the troops to chicken farms in Gimje, about 160 miles south of Seoul, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity, citing ministry policy.

The Defense Ministry will dispatch additional troops to other poultry farms if they ask for it, he said.

The move came as the Agriculture Ministry also confirmed the 12th outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus Wednesday since the country's first outbreak of the disease in a year broke out two weeks ago in Gimje.

Governments test confirmed the latest outbreak at a chicken farm in Pyeongtaek, 44 miles south of Seoul, was caused by the deadly H5N1 virus, Agriculture Ministry spokesman Yoon Young-ku said.

About 2.2 million poultry have been slaughtered since the outbreak two weeks ago as the disease has spread to other farms in the city and other areas, according to the Agriculture Ministry.

The ministry said it hasn't counted how many chickens have been infected with and died of the disease.

The Agriculture Ministry issued a nationwide high alert Wednesday to prevent the disease's further spread, ministry spokesman Yoon said.

At least 239 people worldwide have died from bird flu since 2003, according to the World Health Organization. So far, most human cases have been linked to contact with infected poultry.

The disease is relatively difficult for humans to catch, but health authorities fear it could mutate into a form that is easily spread among humans, which could cause a flu pandemic.