Japan: confirms an incidence of avian influenza in Kyoto

Japan: The ninth bird flu epidemic in Japan this season was verified by genetic testing at a farm in Kyoto Prefecture, according to the country’s agricultural ministry on Wednesday.

The epidemic happened at a poultry farm in Kameoka City, Kyoto Prefecture, which houses some 280,000 egg-laying birds, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries said in a statement.

After receiving a tip on Tuesday, local officials tested the farm’s hens for avian influenza the same day, and the findings were positive. Infection with the highly virulent avian influenza virus was verified by genetic tests conducted on Wednesday.

The farm will cull, burn, and bury all of its hens in compliance with applicable regulations. Furthermore, farms within a 3-kilometer radius are prohibited from transporting chickens and eggs, while farms within a 3- to 10-kilometer radius are prohibited from exporting poultry goods.

According to the statement, an epidemiological research team has been deployed, with specialists from the ministry to be sent if needed, and disinfection measures surrounding the farm have been reinforced to stop the virus from spreading further, according to Xinhua news agency.

The season for avian influenza in Japan usually lasts from the fall until the following spring. Nearly 2.4 million hens have already been culled as a result of the eight outbreaks so far this season. On October 22, the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido verified the nation’s first case.

The viral subtypes A(H5N1) and A(H9N2) are the cause of avian influenza, sometimes referred to as bird flu, a form of zoonotic (or animal) influenza that afflicts wild birds and poultry. Humans have sometimes contracted avian influenza, although human-to-human transmission is difficult. Direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry has been linked to the majority of human cases of avian influenza.