First human bird-flu case found in Japan

Main Category: Bird Flu / Avian Flu
Also Included In: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 25 Dec 2004 - 6:00 PDT

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The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry confirmed Wednesday that one of five people suspected of having been infected with bird flu at a chicken farm in Kyoto Prefecture was the first person discovered to have carried the virus in the country.

Although the ministry said it was "highly likely" that the other four had been infected, it added that none of them displayed symptoms of the disease, and there was no risk of secondary infection.

It was feared that four employees of Asada Nosan, a poultry company, and a Kyoto prefectural government official had been infected with the pathogenic bird flu virus in February, when the disease spread among chickens at the company's Funai Farm in Tanbacho, Kyoto Prefecture.

The ministry and other health authorities examined 58 persons--16 workers in the farm who slaughtered chickens and 42 prefectural government officials who entered the farm to sterilize it.

Blood samples detected antibodies to the virus in five people.

The ministry believes the man was infected with the virus because he worked at the farm without wearing protective clothing before the company reported the disease to the prefectural government.

The ministry on Wednesday sent notices to local governments urging them to take protective measures for concerned persons immediately when an outbreak of bird flu was suspected.

At a press conference the same day, Mitsuhiro Ushio, head of the ministry's section in charge of infectious diseases, called for calm.

"There's no risk that a person could develop symptoms of bird flu. It's also unlikely that he would infect others with the disease," he said.

The highly pathogenic strain of bird flu appeared at Funai Farm in late February. The ministry said it was almost certain that the man was infected with the virus during that period.

Medical experts said that if the bird flu virus mutates, it may lead to the appearance of a new type of influenza to which human beings have no immunity, creating serious problems.

Last month, the World Health Organization issued a warning, saying the risk of a new type of flu appearing is the highest in recent years. In light of this, medical experts said that the confirmation of the infection had significance.

They said one of the lessons learned from the nation's first case of human infection with bird flu was the importance of the initial response.

After noticing that a large number of chickens were dying, Funai Farm officials left the situation unattended for a week. Asada Nosan managers later faced criminal charges………. CONTINUES…………www.yomiuri.co.jp

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