# 968
Egypt continues to deal with avian flu outbreaks, and Japan has done so in the past, and neither country wish to risk importing more problems.
With the announcement last week that Germany, and to a lesser extent France, are seeing H5N1 cases, both Egypt and Japan are moving to prevent poultry imports that could carry the virus.
Egypt bans French, German poultry after bird flu cases
CAIRO (AFP) - Egypt on Tuesday banned all poultry imports from France and Germany after the potentially fatal H5N1 strain of bird flu was discovered in birds there.
"The import of birds and poultry of any age from Germany and France is banned from Tuesday," Cairo airport's veterinary authority said in a statement to airlines.
Egypt, the country hardest hit by bird flu outside Asia, took the step after positive H5N1 test results last week on three swans in France and 38 birds in Germany.
Japan bans German poultry imports due to bird flu
TOKYO (Thomson Financial) - Japan has banned imports of German poultry for at least 90 days due to a bird flu scare, a farm ministry official said Tuesday.
The embargo took effect Monday after Germany, one of Japan's top suppliers, said last week that the H5N1 strain of avian influenza had spread from wild birds to poultry in the country.
'After Germany takes necessary sanitary and health measures, we will review its import status. Such reviews and studies usually begin in 90 days or so after an outbreak is contained,' the farm ministry official said.
Japan last year banned German poultry imports for four months after an earlier outbreak.
