Japan begins culling 200,000 chickens after fresh bird flu outbreak

The western Japanese prefecture of Okayama on Friday began culling about 200,000 chickens at a poultry farm after the H5 strain of bird flu was confirmed there.
The local authorities and the Self-Defense Forces sent workers to the firm in Kasaoka city, some 900 kilometers west of Tokyo, to cull and dispose all the chickens as part of efforts to stop the spread of the bird flu outbreak. According to the Okayama prefectural government, the cull may take about three days to complete.
The local government confirmed on Thursday that dead chickens at the farm were infected with the H5 type of bird flu virus, as the authorities conducted genetic analysis after 28 chickens at the farm died since Wednesday.
The officials banned the movement of chickens and eggs at six farms within a 3-km radius of the affected farm, while asking 15 other farms within a 10-km radius not to ship their products beyond the zone. They also set up disinfection stations within a 10-kilometer radius to keep passing vehicles from spreading the virus.
It was the fourth bird flu case confirmed this winter. In Tokyo, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Thursday evening urged relevant ministers to promptly take thorough disease control measures. Bird flu, or Avian influenza, is a contagious disease of animal origin caused by viruses that normally infect only birds.