March 11, 2004

Bird Flu Feared Following Mass Chicken Deaths In Fukuoka, Japan

Fears of bird flu arose following the deaths of more than 100 chickens at a farm in Fukuoka, Japan. However, authorities said on Thursday that initial tests on some chickens turned up negative for bird flu following the deaths of 126 chickens.

A deadly strain of the virus that has swept across Southeast Asia has been confirmed in at least five locations across Japan, and authorities have warned it may be carried by migratory birds.

More than 270,000 chickens have died or been culled in Japan as a result of the outbreak, but there have been no cases of human infection.