The World Health Organization has urged China to step up testing of wild birds, as well as the humans who've come in contact with them near a lake in remote Qinghai province where 5,000 birds have died. Health officials from the World Health Organization are afraid the bird flu might mutate into a form that could spread directly from person to person, setting off a pandemic.
Officials from the WHO say at least 54 people have died in Asia this year after becoming infected by sick birds.
Tests show the birds died of the H5N1 strain that has proven fatal in Asia's latest outbreak. All over Asia, authorities have slaughtered tens of millions of birds to contain the virus. That step has not been taken Qinghai province because many of the birds are from rare, protected species. Most of the slaughtered birds have been chickens and other poultry. Tests show the birds died of the H5N1 strain that has proven fatal in Asia's latest outbreak.
In Tokyo Japanese agricultural officials said they suspect cases of bird flu at a farm in northeastern Japan may have been part of a larger outbreak that has since receded. The Agriculture Ministry said Sunday some of the more than 800 chickens that have died since April at a farm in Mitsukaido City had been infected with the H5N2 strain of bird flu. H5N2 is considered less dangerous than the H5N1 strain because it is not yet known to infect humans.
On Tuesday, lab tests found chickens at the five farms closest to the infected farm had developed antibodies to the virus in their blood. Chickens at the remaining 11 farms tested negative.
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