TOKYO - A recent outbreak of bird flu on a farm in southwestern Japan has been identified as the H5N1 strain, which is potentially deadly to humans, the agriculture ministry announced Tuesday.
"The examination conducted at the National Institute of Animal Health confirmed that the bird flu virus detected in Miyazaki prefecture was the H5N1 strain," the ministry said in a statement.
It urged the public to stay calm, saying there were no known cases of humans contracting the virus after eating sick poultry.
On Saturday, the government confirmed the outbreak on the farm in Miyazaki prefecture some 900 kilometers (558 miles) southwest of Tokyo where 3,900 chickens were found dead.
Local agricultural officials killed the remaining 8,100 chickens at the farm on Sunday and later began incinerating all 12,000 birds in an effort to stop the outbreak from spreading.
Japan confirmed an outbreak of the H5N1 strain bird flu in January 2004 for the first time in 79 years.
Since then, the nation has seen several cases of outbreaks with the H5N1 strain as well as outbreaks with the less serious H5N2 virus.
Japan has reported no human deaths from avian influenza, which is spread through contact with sick animals.
Bird flu has killed more than 150 people worldwide since late 2003. There are fears it could mutate and trigger a deadly, global pandemic.
01/16/2007 04:42 GMT