The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) announced that highly contagious avian flu outbreaks were confirmed at a poultry farm in Sekikawa village, Niigata prefecture, as well as at a duck farm in Aomori city, Aomori prefecture, on November 29.
Prefectural government’s officials and others wearing hazmat suits are working at the duck farm infected with the avian flu virus. (Sekikawa village in Aomori city, Aomori prefecture)
The avian influenza outbreaks were confirmed in Japan for the first time in a year and ten months.
Experts have given a warning to poultry farmers and others in the country that an overall epidemic prevention must be strengthened at every poultry farm, saying, “Judging from latest outbreaks in Japan and neighboring countries, it is clear that virus concentrations in our natural environment are getting higher. We have a risk of infection, almost similar to that in the year of 2010, when an epidemic of the bird flu spread in many parts of the country.”
Poultry farms in both regions of Tohoku (northeastern region) and Koshin-etsu (region encompassing Niigata, Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures) had not been infected with the high contagious bird influenza.
Culling of poultry birds began at the two farms for the purpose of preventing the spread of the virus.
A number of prefectural government’s officials joined the works of burying culled birds respectively at the farm, feeding 16,500 ducks, in Aomori city and the poultry house, feeding 310 thousand egg hens, in Sekikawa village, Niigata prefecture.