Authorities in southwestern Japan on Saturday rushed to contain the season's first avian influenza outbreak, identifying around 40,000 birds for culling and implementing quarantine measures for nearby farms.
A highly contagious strain of the virus was detected on a poultry farm in Kashima, Saga Prefecture, prompting neighboring prefectural and national authorities to convene task forces.
The Saga prefectural government said Saturday morning that bird flu cases were confirmed at a farm in Kashima, with the culling of all 40,000 birds expected to be completed by Sunday morning.
The movement of about 255,000 birds at 12 poultry farms located within a 10-kilometer radius of the outbreak's epicenter and related products such as eggs was restricted, while vehicle disinfection sites were set up across the prefecture.
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Minister Ichiro Miyashita said at his ministry's task force meeting that swift action will be taken to combat the virus, including by dispatching an epidemiological survey team.
According to Saga prefectural authorities, an increasing number of dead chickens were reported on Friday, with the results of two basic tests coming back positive. Genetic tests later confirmed the presence of the virus.
