MITSUKAIDO, Japan, June 30 (UPI) -- Chickens at five Japanese poultry farms near one recently hit by the bird flu virus have shown signs of also being infected with the disease.
The five farms are located about 0.3 miles from the area in Ibaraki prefecture where a diluted strain of avian flu virus was confirmed. The birds at the five farms were found carrying the antibody to the disease, indicating the birds had been infected with the virus, the Asahi Shimbun reported Thursday.
The type of virus has yet to be confirmed, officials said.
Although health officials said there is no possibility of humans becoming infected from eating the chicken meat or eggs from those farms, the avian flu-infected area could become larger than initially thought.
The ministry panel on poultry disease Wednesday started studying whether the chickens raised at the five farms should be destroyed.
Government workers are in the process of culling 25,000 chickens at the first infected farm.
