19th Bird Flu Outbreak of the Season
Tokyo – Japanese authorities began culling approximately 50,000 chickens on Sunday following a bird flu outbreak on a farm in the northern region of Iwate. The outbreak, confirmed by Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, marks the 19th bird flu case in the country this season. The affected farm reported a rise in bird deaths, with the virus identified as the cause.
In response, Iwate’s regional government ordered the culling of 50,000 chickens. Additionally, 170,000 birds on two nearby farms are prohibited from being transported. Authorities have also restricted the movement of roughly 3.8 million birds within a 10-kilometer radius of the infected farm as a precautionary measure.
Recent Cases and Widespread Impact
This outbreak follows multiple reports of bird flu in Japan in recent weeks. On Thursday, officials detected the virus on another farm in Iwate and at a facility in the central region of Aichi. These cases prompted the culling of 120,000 birds in Iwate and 147,000 birds in Aichi.
Earlier, on December 29, a bird flu outbreak in the eastern region of Ibaraki led to the culling of over one million birds. These incidents reflect the severe impact of the virus on Japan’s poultry industry this season, highlighting ongoing challenges in containing its spread.