A national laboratory has confirmed the bird flu virus detected in a crow caught in Osaka Prefecture is the same highly virulent H5N1 strain that hit two poultry farms in neighboring Kyoto Prefecture, lab officials said Monday.
The National Institute of Animal Health in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, has found that the H5N1 strain is the same as the type detected at the Asada Nosan Funai Farm and later at the Takada farm, both in Tanba, Kyoto Prefecture, and other locations in Japan.
In Tokyo, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda said the government would convene a meeting of ministers Tuesday to decide on comprehensive emergency measures to contain the epidemic, including amendments to legislation and aid to poultry farmers.
The Cabinet plans is to finalize some of the measures at a meeting later Tuesday, government officials said.