January 4, 2023

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said bird flu cases in Japan reached a record high, following the confirmation of new infections in the prefectures of Chiba and Fukuoka, The Manichi reported.

The ministry that there have been 54 confirmed cases of avian flu in Japan this season, spread across 23 prefectures.

The previous record was set two seasons prior, between November 2020 and March 2021, when 52 cases were verified in 18 prefectures, leading to an all-time high culling of approximately 9.9 million chickens.

Approximately 7.75 million birds had already been culled this season; the total is expected to surpass the previous record.

It is thought that migratory birds brought the bird flu to Japan as it has spread throughout the world.

The first confirmed case of bird flu for this season was discovered in October on a poultry farm in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan. Samples from the infected chickens detected the incredibly deadly H5N1 strain of the virus.

Avian flu was confirmed at a poultry farm in Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, close to Tokyo, according to the prefectural government, led to the culling of about 10,000 chickens there.

A farm in Fukuoka Prefecture in southwest Japan that raises emus also reported having bird flu, and about 430 of the birds were culled.

-      The Manichi