Wary Japan extends bird flu ban
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An employee withdraws chicken products from supermarket shelves.
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Nations hit by bird flu
-S.Korea
-Japan
-Thailand
-Vietnam
-Cambodia
-Indoneisa
Suspected bird flu
-Laos
-Taiwan (different strain)
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TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) -- Japan's agriculture ministry says it has suspended imports of chickens and chicken products from Indonesia and Cambodia due to outbreaks of the avian influenza virus in the two countries.
The ban will remain in force until the two countries confirm the disease is under control, the ministry said.
In the year to March 2003, Japan imported 2,215 tonnes of meat and 757 tonnes of processed chicken products from Indonesia, amounting to 0.4 percent and 0.3 percent respectively of Japan's total chicken and chicken product imports.
Figures for Cambodia were not available.
The European Union followed the lead of France and banned the importation of Thai chickens or chicken poultry products.
Europe is the largest single market for the Thai poultry industry.
Thailand, which confirmed its first human death from the deadly bird flu Monday, has 10 suspected human cases of the disease, a government official said, as the country expanded the number of its crisis zones.
Five Vietnamese have already died from bird flu.
"It is so far confirmed that two cases have contracted bird flu and another probable case is from Pitsanulok province," Thailand's Department of Disease Control Director-General, Charal Trinwuthipong, told a ministerial meeting.
"Another 10 cases are suspected of contracting bird flu. Of those, four have died, but the lab tests have yet to determine cause of death," he said.
Agriculture Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said earlier the bird flu crisis zone has been expanded to 10 of the 76 provinces from two.
Health Minister Sudara Keyuraphan said: "It is worrying because many other birds, including quail, have died, so we have to solve the problem in chickens as soon as possible."
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