Japan finds another case of bird flu in dead swan

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan has found the H5N1 strain of bird flu in another swan in the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, the prefectural government of Hokkaido said on its website on Saturday.

The case was confirmed from a dead swan found five days ago near Lake Saroma in eastern Hokkaido. On the same day, local authorities had said the same strain of bird flu was found in another swan found dead on April 24 in another area of the island.

The latest case is the third in Japan this year. In late April, several swans were found with the H5N1 strain on the shores of Lake Towada, close to the northern tip of the main island of Honshu.

The livestock hygiene service centre will issue an order for chicken farms within a 30-km radius to disinfect poultry houses, Kyodo news agency said.

No human deaths from the disease have been reported in Japan.