The Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries announced today (Jan. 31) that testing has confirmed that the poultry outbreak in Okayama Prefecture was caused by the H5N1 subtype virus. I'm afraid that I don't have time to translate the press release at the moment, but here's the link for anyone interested in having a look (it's very cursory...no genetic details yet):
http://www.maff.go.jp/www/press/2007/20070131press_5.html
On a somewhat related note, I read today that the organizers of a marathon scheduled for February in southern Japan (Kagoshima Prefeture) have cancelled the event over concerns about the risk of avian influenza. (reference, Asahi Shinbun: http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0131/SEB200701310008.html)
Concerns were heightened in this case because this particular marathon is famous for snaking through a prime gathering spot for migrating cranes. In fact, the maraton is called the "Izumi Crane Marathon" (Izumi Tsuru Marathon in Japanese). The city of Izumi has a special tourist center dedicated to crane viewing (you can see some photos here: http://www2.synapse.ne.jp/roshiroshi/turusenta.htm). In any case, they concede that they are being overly cautious, but note that until the source of the recent Japanese outbreaks can be confirmed, it's best to err on the side of caution when it comes to putting large numbers of people in contact with large numbers of migratory birds.
Here's a map of the region showing the relative locations of Miyazaki Prefecture (where 3 of the most recent poultry outbreaks have been reported) and Okayama Prefecture (location of one outbreak this month):
http://www.maff.go.jp/www/press/2007/20070131press_5.html
On a somewhat related note, I read today that the organizers of a marathon scheduled for February in southern Japan (Kagoshima Prefeture) have cancelled the event over concerns about the risk of avian influenza. (reference, Asahi Shinbun: http://www.asahi.com/national/update/0131/SEB200701310008.html)
Concerns were heightened in this case because this particular marathon is famous for snaking through a prime gathering spot for migrating cranes. In fact, the maraton is called the "Izumi Crane Marathon" (Izumi Tsuru Marathon in Japanese). The city of Izumi has a special tourist center dedicated to crane viewing (you can see some photos here: http://www2.synapse.ne.jp/roshiroshi/turusenta.htm). In any case, they concede that they are being overly cautious, but note that until the source of the recent Japanese outbreaks can be confirmed, it's best to err on the side of caution when it comes to putting large numbers of people in contact with large numbers of migratory birds.
Here's a map of the region showing the relative locations of Miyazaki Prefecture (where 3 of the most recent poultry outbreaks have been reported) and Okayama Prefecture (location of one outbreak this month):
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