Tests confirm bird flu outbreak in Japan

The Japanese agriculture ministry confirmed that an outbreak of bird flu in southern Japan was caused by the virus H5N1. A state laboratory examined samples from 3.000 dead chickens from a poultry farm in Hyuga. It was determined that the birds were infected with H5N1. Over 100,000 chickens will be slaughtered as a precaution to prevent spread of the virus. According to the World Health Organization, “the H5N1 virus has killed or forced the slaughter of millions of birds across Asia since late 2003, and caused the deaths of at least 163 people worldwide.” In Japan, there have been no deaths from the virus and only one confirmed infection. The virus is hard for humans to catch, but experts are afraid that it could mutate and kill millions worldwide. I found this article interesting because bird flu was brought up during the SNBAL in class.