A U-N Food and Agriculture Organization official says North Korea has contained the bird flu outbreak that hit the country in February.

FAO consultant Les Sims, who was in North Korea to analyze the avian influenza, said in a report that some 218 thousand infected chickens were culled in three poultry farms hit by the bird flu. He also said the virus has been wiped out through emergency vaccinations.

The FAO said the H7 virus found in the North was not directly related to the deadly H5N1 strain which claimed 51 human lives in Southeast Asia last year.

However, it called on the North to continue surveillance and strengthen its veterinary services.