December 20, 2004

 

 

Five People In Japan Suspected Of Having Bird Flu

 

Five people may have been infected with the bird flu virus after an outbreak among poultry in February in Kyoto Prefecture, Kyodo News reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the case.

 

If confirmed, the cases would mark the first human infections from avian influenza in Japan, the report said.

 

An antibody to the bird flu virus has been detected but the virus itself wasn't found in blood serum samples taken from the people - four workers at Asada Nosan Co.'s Funai Farm in the town of Tamba, Kyoto Prefecture, and one firefighter who took part in operations to disinfect the poultry farm following the outbreak, Kyodo reported.

 

They all had fever, but none of them were in serious condition, according to the sources.

 

The Kyoto prefectural government has taken blood samples from about 60 people, including farm employees and firefighters, as well as prefectural government employees who took part in the operations, they said.

 

The National Institute of Infections Diseases in Tokyo has examined the samples, the sources said.

 

Before taking part in the operations, the firefighter took the flu drug oseltamivir phosphate, known by its product name Tamiflu, and wore a protective suit with a hood, as well as goggles and a mask, they said.

 

One of the sources said it would be necessary to verify whether the firefighter wore the gear properly.

 

Some 240,000 chickens and 20 million eggs were disposed of at the farm and another nearby farm to prevent the infection from spreading, Kyodo reported.

 

The president of the farm operator, Hideaki Asada, received one-year prison term, suspended for three years, in August in a Kyoto District Court ruling for failing to report the bird flu outbreak at the farm to authorities, Kyodo said.

 

Bird flu had broken out in Japan last year among poultry in Yamaguchi Prefecture in January and in Oita Prefecture in February.

 

All the cases in Japan have been found to be infections of the H5N1 type of virus.

 

The disease has spread among poultry in many Asian countries including South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand and China.

 

The World Health Organization says there have been 44 cases of human infections in Thailand and Vietnam, in which 32 people have died, Kyodo reported.