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South Korea confirmed three new cases of bird flu on Sunday as the outbreak that began last month further hits farmers who are also battling the nation's worst-ever outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease.

The Agriculture Ministry confirmed three new cases of the highly contagious virus at duck farms in the southwestern county of Yeongam, bringing the total number of cases to seven since Dec 31.

At least 396,000 chickens, ducks and other birds have been or will be culled, the Agriculture Ministry said on its website, as the fresh cases were reported after a week-long pause.

Health authorities have placed quarantine zones around nearby areas to carry out emergency disinfection on people and vehicles, especially those transporting animal feed.

South Korea has been hit by avian influenza three times, with the last outbreak in April 2008.

The renewed bird flu scare came as farmers and health authorities struggle to curtail the country's worst-ever outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, which shows few signs of abating.

Seoul on Sunday confirmed two new cases of the disease at a pig farm in the southeastern county of Bongwha and a cattle farm at the midwestern county of Cheongwon.

A total of 108 cases have been confirmed since the first outbreak on Nov 29, leading to the record slaughter of at least 948,000 cattle and pigs in 40 cities and counties.

Since November, South Korea has lost about 7 percent of its cattle and pigs, with related losses estimated at more than 1 trillion won ($890 million). More than 68,000 troops have been deployed to help culling efforts, with President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday calling for "fundamental measures" to contain the disease, such as securing more vaccine.

Questions:

1. How many new cases were confirmed?

2. How many birds have been culled?

3. How many troops have been deployed to help culling efforts?

Answers:

1. Three.

2. 396,000.

3. 68,000.

去聽寫專區(qū)一展身手

（中國(guó)日?qǐng)?bào)網(wǎng)英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津 Helen 編輯）

About the broadcaster:

Lee Hannon is Chief Editor at China Daily with 15-years experience in print and broadcast journalism. Born in England, Lee has traveled extensively around the world as a journalist including four years as a senior editor in Los Angeles. He now lives in Beijing and is happy to move to China and join the China Daily team.