November 9, 2005

Japan to cull 170,000 more chickens
 

Japan will cull 170,000 more chickens after a bird flu virus from the H5 family was detected at a farm north of Tokyo, a news report said Tuesday.

The Agricultural Ministry said Monday that chickens at the farm tested positive for antibodies for the virus, though no viruses had been found. But local authorities corrected that announcement Tuesday, saying the virus had been detected in two chicken pens at the farm in Ibaraki prefecture, about 64 miles north of Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The chickens probably had the H5N2 strain of the virus, which is less virulent than the H5N1 variety that has ravaged Southeast Asia since 2003 and killed at least 63 people there, officials said.

The 170,000 chickens in the two pens would be culled nevertheless, NHK said.

Local authorities were not available for comment Tuesday night.

The virus was detected last Friday at Moriya Farm, but local authorities failed to report their findings because they wanted to prevent panic, NHK quoted Ibaraki official Hitoshi Kashimura as saying.