Bird flu of highly virulent H5 strain confirmed in Japan

Via Japan Today :

" TOKYO : The Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry confirmed Wednesday that the chickens suspected of having bird flu at a farm in Shimane Prefecture had been infected with the highly virulent H5 strain of avian flu virus. It represents the first bird flu infection since February 2009 when a quail farm in Toyohashi, Aichi Prefecture, was found to be infected by another strain of avian flu virus.

The prefectural government in western Japan said it has found at least two spots in chicken houses at the poultry farm in the city of Yasugi where wild birds could enter the houses.
It had earlier said there were no abnormalities in a metallic bird net inside of a plastic sheet covering the poultry houses and that birds should have not been able to get into the houses.
According to the local government, the net has come loose at one of the two spots while part of the sheet has turned at the other spot.

The prefectural government suspects that the virus was brought by a wild bird as there is a lake nearby where many migratory birds gather and aims to identify the infection route in cooperation with researchers from the ministry."