A chicken farm in northeastern Japan, in Akita prefecture, is the first victim of the 2021 season’s first flu outbreak. The local authorities have started the extermination of 143,000 chickens, Akita’s prefectural government announced on Wednesday.
The avian flu outbreak was the first time in Japan this year. After a positive test returned from the lab on the earlier day, the whole farm in Yokote became the center for the outbreak. Everyone hopes that this time the outbreak won’t be serious as last year. Last year’s outbreak demanded about 9.38 million chicken culls across almost a third of total prefectures.
The prefectural authorities also ordered the farms around 10km of the vicinity to not distribute any shipments of eggs or chickens. In addition, the Ground Self-Defense Force dispatched personnel to assist in resolving the problem at the requests of the local prefecture.
Japan’s new Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida, called to gather information and instructed the agriculture ministry and other government agencies to collaborate to take quick and comprehensive preventive measures.
According to the Prefectural Government, a veterinary doctor informed local health officials on Tuesday that chicken deaths on Yokote’s farm Yokote have been rising. A preliminary test was carried out on 13 chickens; 12 were positive for avian influenza.
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