H5N1 Avian Flu Virus Attacked the First Ever South Korean Mammal
A cat found dead in a South Korean city was infected with a virulent 
strain of bird flu, the first mammal in the country known to have had the H5N1 virus, health officials said on Tuesday.
strain of bird flu, the first mammal in the country known to have had the H5N1 virus, health officials said on Tuesday.
However there was little risk to humans as there has never been a known transmission of the virus from a cat to other mammals.
The cat was found dead in April in Gimje, about 250 kilometres (150 miles) south of Seoul.
According to Cho Hyun-Ho, a deputy director of the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service, it is quite a rare thing, as cats and dogs are usually not susceptible to the avian flu virus, they usually are not having regular contact with birds.
Scientists fear the virus will eventually mutate into a form that is much more easily transmissible between humans, triggering a global pandemic.
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