Number of bird flu cases in Japan hits record high

On Tuesday 03, the Ministry of Finance declared that Japan had the highest number of recorded cases of avian flu after new outbreaks were verified in the prefectures of Chiba and Fukuoka.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported on Tuesday that 54 cases of bird flu have been confirmed in 23 Japanese prefectures this season.

Two years ago, the highest number of bird-related avian flu cases was documented – a total of 52 infections in 18 different Japanese prefectures. This resulted in the largest chicken cull on record, around 9,9 million birds.

The Ministry of Finance has indicated that it is not feasible for humans to become infected with avian flu by consuming poultry or eggs.

In October, poultry farmers in Okayama Prefecture, located in the western part of Japan, had the first incident of avian flu this season. Testing samples from infected chickens showed the presence of the highly fatal H5N1 strain.

On Tuesday, a case of bird flu was identified through genetic testing at a poultry farm located in Chiba Prefecture, which is located in eastern Japan, near Tokyo. This resulted in approximately 10.000 chickens being slaughtered on the farm.

In Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan, the presence of avian flu was revealed in a ranch where rheas were raised, resulting in the slaughter of approximately 430 animals.