Japan Confirms 1st Outbreak of H5N1 Virus in Almost 3 Years

Japanese officials have confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus at a poultry farm in southwestern Japan. It is the first time in almost three years that Japan has detected the H5N1 strain, which can be lethal to humans.

The virus killed about four-thousand chickens last week at a farm in Miyazaki prefecture. Early tests had indicated the chickens were infected with a virus from the H-5 family.

There have been no reported human infections from the Miyazaki outbreak.

Elsewhere in Asia, a rising number of human bird flu deaths in Indonesia and outbreaks among poultry in other countries have put the whole region on alert.

Last week, four people in Indonesia died from bird flu infections, prompting the government to call for a ban on keeping poultry in backyards. Indonesia's human death toll from bird flu has reached 61, the highest of any country.

日本官员证实，在日本西南地区一个家禽养殖场爆发了H5N1禽流感。这是近3年来日本第一次检测到这种能导致人类死亡的H5N1病毒。

宫崎县一个农场上星期出现的病毒造成4千只鸡死亡。初步的测试表明，这些鸡受到了H-5类病毒的感染。

目前还没有报导说有人在宫崎县这次疫情中受到感染。

在亚洲其它地区，印度尼西亚死于禽流感的人数上升，其它国家也出现家禽感染的疫情，使整个地区处于警惕状态。

上个星期，印度尼西亚有四人死于禽流感，致使政府发布命令禁止在住房后院饲养家禽。印度尼西亚已经有61人死于禽流感，居世界第一。