TOKYO — Japanese authorities confirmed the country’s second outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza this season on Friday, following genetic testing at a poultry farm in Chiba Prefecture.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, the infection was officially verified at 8:00 a.m. local time (23:00 GMT Thursday) at a facility in Asahi City housing roughly 40,000 chickens. The investigation was triggered on Thursday after the farm operator alerted officials to unusual symptoms among the flock, leading to on-site inspections and rapid diagnostic tests that came back positive.
Emergency Containment Measures
To prevent the virus from spreading to neighboring facilities, prefectural authorities have launched an immediate containment protocol:
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Mass Culling: All 40,000 laying hens at the affected farm will be culled, with their remains disposed of via burial or incineration.
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Quarantine Zones: Officials have imposed a strict movement ban within a 3-kilometer (1.9-mile) radius of the farm, alongside a shipping restriction zone extending out to 10 kilometers (6.2 miles).
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Biosecurity Checkpoints: Disinfection stations are being set up along major roadways, and nearby poultry farms are undergoing mandatory inspections.
An epidemiological team is also being deployed to trace the origin of the virus and identify potential transmission routes.
National Alert and Food Safety
The agriculture ministry announced it will convene its avian influenza control headquarters to oversee the response and has urged all Japanese prefectures to heighten biosecurity surveillance and report any suspected cases without delay.
Despite the outbreak, officials emphasized that the public faces no risk of contracting avian influenza from consuming chicken meat or eggs under Japan’s current food safety conditions.