An alleged bird-flu outbreak in South Korea has caused Japan to temporarily suspend the import of poultry. A Government spokesman has confirmed that around 6000 chickens have died as a result of the outbreak.
More details about the outbreak have been sought from South Korea. "As a precaution, we decided to temporarily suspend imports of South Korean poultry", Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki of Japan said.The Japan External Trade Organization also reported that in 2005, the country had imported nearly 318 tons of chicken from South Korea. It is not yet known if the bird flu virus belongs to the H5N1 strain, confirmation is expected this weekend.
Source-Medindia
SAV
