TOKYO, Jan. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- Japan planned to vaccinate people exposed to bird influenza viruses in any future bird flu epidemic in order to prevent people from being infected by any new deadly type of flu, the country's health ministry said Friday.

    The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has worked out the plan after a bird flu epidemic was found at a chicken ranch in thewestern Japanese prefecture of Yamaguchi early this week.

    According to the ministry, if people are infected with both bird and conventional flu viruses, it may lead to some new type offlu that could be more infectious and deadly.

    The planned vaccinations would not prevent people from being infected with bird flu viruses, but it would help avoid the emergence of extraordinary types of flu through integration of bird and conventional flu viruses, the ministry said.

    Past extraordinary types of flu included the 1918 Spanish flu, the 1957 Asian flu and the 1968 Hong Kong flu that killed millionsof people around the world. Enditem