2ND LD: 750 chickens dead in suspected bird flu infection at Miyazaki farm+

About 750 chickens have died at a poultry farm in the town of Kiyotake, Miyazaki Prefecture, and highly pathogenic bird flu is suspected as the cause, the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry said Thursday.

About 12,000 chickens have been raised at the farm, according to the ministry. The ministry and the Miyazaki prefectural government have isolated those chickens that are still alive as an emergency measure under the law to prevent infectious disease in livestock until the results of viral examinations are obtained.

Avian influenza is a deadly disease that mainly infects birds, including chickens, but there are reported cases of fatal human contagion.