There Were Infections In Chiba And Fukuoka, Cases Of Bird Flu In Japan Set The Highest Record

Illustration of chicken farming. (Wikimedia Commons/jlastras)

JAKARTA - Bird flu cases in Japan hit a record high after new infections were confirmed in Chiba Prefecture and Fukuoka, authorities said Tuesday.

At a poultry farm in Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, near Tokyo, a case of bird flu was confirmed through genetic testing on Tuesday, the prefectural government said, causing the culling of about 10,000 chickens at the site.

Bird flu was also reported on a farm keeping emu in Fukuoka Prefecture in southwest Japan, with about 430 birds culled.

As of Tuesday, a total of 54 cases of bird flu were confirmed in 23 prefectures in Japan this season, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, according to Kyodo News Jan. 3.

The previous record was recorded two seasons ago, between November 2020 and March 2021, when 52 cases were confirmed in 18 prefectures, resulting in the culling of around 9.9 million chickens, the highest of all time.

It is known that around 7.75 million birds have been culled this season as of Tuesday, with a total number likely to exceed the previous record.

Since bird flu has spread globally, it is believed the flu was brought to Japan by a migrating bird.

The ministry further said that there is no possibility of people contracting bird flu because they eat chicken or eggs.

The first confirmed case of bird flu this season at a poultry farm in Okayama Prefecture, western Japan, in October, with the highly lethal H5N1 strain detected from samples of infected chickens.