Japan Sounds High Alert As Bird Flu Spreads

Japanese health officials began culling of 150,000 chickens in the central region of Aichi, in order to curb the spread of bird flu outbreak.

Since November Japan has confirmed five cases of bird flu at farms in four of the country's 47 prefectures. Some 600,000 chickens have been culled.

Avian Influenza / Bird Flu-Causes-Symptoms-Treatment- FAQs
Bird flu (avian influenza/avian flu) is a disease caused by an influenza virus (H5N1) that primarily affects birds but can infect humans also.

The flu has also hit Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures on southwestern Kyushu island, which are major poultry farming areas.

In Miyazaki, a foot-and-mouth outbreak last year forced the slaughter of almost 300,000 farm animals.

Source-AFP

Bird Tests Positive For Bird Flu In Hong Kong
Hong Kong authorities confirmed Thursday that a dead bird found in the southern Chinese territory had tested positive for the H5 strain of the bird flu virus.

First Human Bird Flu Case Since 2003 Confirmed in Hong Kong
First case of bird flu in humans in seven years has been confirmed in Hong Kong, with a 59-year-old woman in a serious condition after a visit to mainland China, health officials said Thursday.

Genetic Modification in Chicken to Prevent Bird Flu Epidemics
Bird flu epidemics could be prevented because of the genetic modifications made in chickens. These modified chickens can get infected with bird flu but could not pass it on to other chickens.