This marks the 16th outbreak of the season in the country and the first reported case in Ibaraki An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a…

This marks the 16th outbreak of the season in the country and the first reported case in Ibaraki

An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a poultry farm in Yachiyo, located in Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, as announced by the prefectural government on Sunday. This marks the 16th outbreak of the season in the country and the first reported case in Ibaraki.

According to Jiji Press, At the Yachiyo farm, approximately 1.1 million egg-laying hens will be culled, which is the largest number affected in a single outbreak this season. The prefectural government received a report from the farm on Saturday, and initial tests indicated that 8 out of 10 birds tested positive for the virus. Further genetic tests later confirmed the infection.

As of February this year, there were about 12 million chickens on farms in Ibaraki, according to the prefectural government. So far this season, approximately 1.67 million birds have been culled in 15 outbreaks across 11 prefectures nationwide, as reported by the agriculture ministry.