TOKYO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th December, 2022) A massive outbreak of bird flu in Japan's norther Aomori Prefecture could have potentially affected 1.37 million chickens, which under Japanese law requires the government to cull the entire compromised population, Japanese media reported on Thursday.
The first concerns arose after 180 dead chickens had been found at a poultry farm in the city of Misawa, the NHK broadcaster said. The genetic analysis confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
The farm is discussing steps necessary to curb the disease with the ministry of agriculture at the moment, NHK reported. If the infection is confirmed possible in all 1.37 million birds at the farm, they all will be culled. It would mark the largest number of birds culled in Japan due to avian influenza.
Last year, bird flu caused the culling of 1.37 million birds in Japan.
The authorities have reportedly already imposed a ban on the transportation of chickens and eggs within a three-kilometer radius around the outbreak hot spot as well as prohibited the export of chickens and eggs outside a 10-kilometer radius.
Last week, the Kyodo news agency reported that more than 4 million chickens had been culled in Japan since the beginning of the year. The ministry of agriculture created a task force to curb the spread of bird flu.
