Hokkaido swan died of bird flu

A virulent strain of H5N1 avian influenza was confirmed in a swan found dead April 24 on the Notsuke Peninsula in eastern Hokkaido, the Environment Ministry said Monday.

Tests on the swan were conducted by Hokkaido University Research Center for Zoonosis Control.

The virus type is the same as found in swans that died at Lake Towadako in Akita Prefecture in April, and in Indonesia and South Korea.

The Hokkaido government is checking and sterilizing poultry farms within 30 kilometers of where the dead swan was found.(IHT/Asahi: May 6,2008)