Japan found a new case of bird flu in an area that has already been hit by the disease, leading authorities to prohibit the movement of more chickens. A farm in Ibaraki, some 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Tokyo, that had come out clean in previous tests was found to be infected by the disease, a local official said. Authorities immediately banned movement of chickens and their eggs within five kilometers (three miles) of the poultry farm. The official could not immediately say how many chickens were involved in the latest case or give other details pending further tests.
Japan has been relatively spared from bird flu. Four outbreaks were found last year which were the first cases in the archipelago since 1925. The first case in Ibaraki was found to be H5N2, a weaker strain of bird flu than H5N1 which has killed more than 50 people in Southeast Asia since 2003