Authorities cull 330,000 chickens, ducks amid bird flu outbreak in Niigata, Aomori

Japan Times
Nov 29, 2016

AOMORI/NIIGATA – A highly contagious avian flu outbreak has been confirmed at poultry farms in Niigata and Aomori prefectures, forcing local governments to cull a total of about 330,000 chickens and ducks on Tuesday.

The cases are the first of a highly pathogenic H5 strain of the virus in domestic poultry since January 2015 when it was detected in Okayama and Saga prefectures.

South Korea experienced an outbreak of bird flu earlier this month, possibly transmitted by migratory birds. Experts warned that the outbreak could spread nationwide as infected wild birds have been found in many parts of the country.

Tests have confirmed the presence of the H5 strain at the poultry farm in the village of Sekikawa, Niigata Prefecture, while H5-strain samples obtained in Aomori will be analyzed at a laboratory in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture.

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