Human cases of bird flu in China don't indicate new strain

The discovery of two cases of human infection of bird flu in China does not indicate the emergence of a new strain of the disease, a top Japanese official said Thursday.

China reported its first human infections, including one fatality, on the mainland on Wednesday. Health workers were rushing to inoculate billions of chickens to stop the disease's spread.

But Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe said there was no evidence yet that the infections meant there was a new form of the disease that spreads between humans. . Abe also said that Japan was eager to cooperate with other Asian nations at a meeting this week in South Korea of Pacific Rim economies to help stem the spread of the disease, AP reports.

А. А.