About 14,000 birds have been culled in the southern Japanese prefecture of Kagoshima after an avian influenza outbreak was confirmed, local authorities said on Monday.
The bird flu has been confirmed on a poultry farm in the Minamisatsuma City of Kagoshima, according to the
prefectural government.
It added that the culling operations for it and nearby farms under the same management were completed within a short span.
Burial of the culled birds and disinfection of the poultry houses were expected to conclude within the next few days.
The national authorities are expected to determine whether the virus was highly pathogenic.
To prevent further spread of the infection, the prefecture has imposed restrictions on the movement of approximately
363,000 chickens and quails.
The birds are being raised at 15 farms within a radius of 3 km to 10 km from the affected area.
Following genetic testing which confirmed the virus, the prefectural authorities initiated the culling process on Sunday.
The case marks the ninth avian influenza outbreak in the country this season.
The bird flu season in Japan typically begins in October each year.
In the last season, Japan saw a record 84 outbreaks of highly pathogenic bird flu at farms in 26 of
the country’s 47 prefectures, with a record 17.71 million birds culled.
This has led to decrease in egg supplies and price increase. (Xinhua/NAN
