Discussions between the two Koreas are likely this week on containing the spread of bird flu in North Korea.

A Unification Ministry official said Thursday that Pyongyang has not yet responded to a phone message from Seoul. In a telephone message via liaison officials at the truce village of Panmunjom, Seoul asked Pyongyang to provide details on the outbreak, including the specific strain of the virus and scale of damage.

He also said the government has sent quarantine officials to North Korea's Mount Geumgang resort, the venue of an inter-Korean tourism project, to check anti-epidemic measures and sanitation there.

Pyongyang confirmed over the weekend a bird flu outbreak in two to three chicken farms, including one in the North's capital. No human infection has been reported.

Seoul has also expressed its willingness to send any necessary aid to help North Korea fight the avian influenza.