Japan reports bird flu outbreak in Hiroshima Prefecture

By NewsDesk  @bactiman63

Officials in Hiroshima Prefecture are reporting a H5 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on a farm in Mihara City.

This is the 17th case in domestic poultry in six prefectures in Japan.

This prompted the start of culling of around 130,000 chickens at the site and other affiliated farms.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus has been confirmed in wild birds in Japan (8 cases in 3 prefectures).

The first case this year was reported in Kagawa Prefecture in early November, followed by Fukuoka, Hyogo, Miyazaki and Nara prefectures. All of the local governments carried out massive culls of chickens in and around infected farms.

This is Japan’s worst outbreak since 2016.

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