March 3, 2004

Japan Could Have Fourth Bird Flu Case

Japan could have its fourth bird flu case on a farm in southwestern Japan after a dead chicken tested positive in preliminary results, officials said Wednesday.

The chicken showed a "weak positive" response to the test, while nine other chickens that died at the farm in the town of Kanagi in Shimane Prefecture tested negative, the prefectural government said in a statement. The town is about 720 kilometers west of Tokyo.

Authorities said the deaths may have been caused by parasites, rather than bird flu, since they found blood in five of the dead birds' droppings and the eggs of parasites in their bodies. Officials were carrying out follow-up tests to determine whether the birds had the disease.

Seventy-four chickens have died at the farm since Sunday, the statement said.

Bird flu rarely infects humans, but the disease that engulfed Asia has killed 22 people in Vietnam and Thailand. No human deaths have been reported in Japan.

Government authorities announced Japan's third outbreak of the flu in a western region late last week.