SEOUL, May 15 (Xinhua) -- South Korea plans to build a plant to produce avian influenza vaccine in a bid to prepare for the possibility of the deadly poultry disease spreading to humans, the South Korean Health Ministry said Thursday.

    At a report to parliament, the plant will be built in Hwasun, around 340 km southwest of Seoul and can produce enough vaccine for around 20 million patients a year, the ministry said.

    The construction will be completed by the end of next year, it added.

    The plan came amid widely spreading outbreaks of bird flu in the country.

    The latest round of bird flu outbreaks, which started in late March this year, has spread throughout the country including the capital city. The government has confirmed 42 cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza this year and culled around 7 million birds.