HONG KONG » A dead chicken found on a Hong Kong seashore had the H5N1 virus, and officials are trying to determine how the bird got there.

There are no chicken farms within two miles of where the carcass was found Dec. 18 on western Lantau island. There also was no evidence of any backyard poultry being kept in nearby villages. Hong Kong banned backyard poultry in 2006 to prevent bird-to-human spread of the virus.

Agricultural officials said Friday lab tests confirmed the bird had H5N1.

A woman who visited mainland China was confirmed last month as Hong Kong’s first human case of H5N1 in seven years. Her condition has since been reported as stable.

Bird flu has caused about 300 deaths worldwide over the past seven years.