TOKYO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) — Japanese authorities reported Tuesday an outbreak of highly pathogenic bird flu at a farm in the Kagawa prefecture, the third hotspot reported in the country so far in this bird flu season.
On Monday, in the poultry farm located in the city of Kanonji, chickens were found dead, most of which tested positive for bird flu upon a quick test conducted by the local authorities, Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said in a statement.
Genetic test results on Tuesday showed that the chickens were infected with the highly contagious H5 strain of the avian influenza virus, according to the statement.
Necessary measures have been taken, including ordering the slaughter of about 40,000 birds in the farm and establishing a restricted zone of three km from the site, the statement said.
The ministry on Oct. 28 reported two bird flu outbreaks, one in the Okayama prefecture on the island of Honshu, and the other one in Hokkaido, the northernmost of the four main islands of Japan.
A total of about 340,000 chickens raised in the two poultry farms would be culled, it said.
Japan’s bird flu season usually runs from autumn and winter to spring next year.