February 4, 2011

Japan's Oita culls 13,000 chickens due to bird flu

Japan's Oita prefectural government finished culling about 13,000 chickens at a poultry farm and a meat processing center on Thursday (Feb 3) after becoming the fifth Japanese prefecture to be hit by avian influenza this winter.

About 110 people, including animal doctors and prefectural government officials, culled and buried about 8,100 chickens from Wednesday night (Feb 2) at the poultry farm in Oita city, while an additional 100 people joined the task of disinfecting the area.

Approximately 5,000 other chickens were culled at a meat processing center in Usa as around 2,000 chickens had been brought to it from the infected farm.

The prefecture imposed a ban on the transport of chickens and eggs within a 10-kilometre radius of the farm and conducted on-site inspections at 10 poultry farms within the area, each holding more than 100 chickens.

The officials said no suspected infections were found in visual examinations and added that they will wait to see the results of blood tests and other exams expected to come out on Saturday night (Feb 5) or later.

Oita Prefecture confirmed on Wednesday (Feb 2) that this was the 11th bird flu outbreak this season in the country after 38 chickens were reported dead. The southwestern prefecture borders Miyazaki Prefecture, where more than 700,000 chickens have been killed with the flu spreading to seven farms in six municipalities.

Elsewhere, Shimane, Aichi, and Kagoshima prefectures have so far managed to contain infections to one farm each since the season's first outbreak in Japan was found in Shimane last November.