Japan Detects New Bird Flu Outbreak, Will Destroy 3,000 Ducks

Illustration of poultry to be vaccinated to anticipate the spread of the bird flu virus (FAO)

JAKARTA - About 3,000 ducks will be culled in Japan after the detection of a new bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in Saitama Prefecture, which is located north of Tokyo, according to the local government.

"A suspicious case was detected in a poultry farm in Gyoda city. Today, from detailed examination results, a highly pathogenic avian flu infection was confirmed," the local government said in a statement, as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, January 26.

The statement also said the culling of some 3,000 ducks at the poultry farm was being carried out, and local authorities had imposed a quarantine on poultry transport within a three-kilometer radius.

Disinfection of poultry farms and equipment is expected to be completed by January 29, said the statement.

Considering the latest outbreak, the number of chickens culled in Japan this season is close to 11 million, which is an all-time high in Japan.

In the previous season, from November 2020 to the end of March 2021 -- when Japan's poultry industry suffered the worst losses from bird flu -- 9.87 million chickens were culled, and there were 52 outbreaks in 18 prefectures.

Experts explained the outbreak was linked to the fact that migratory birds had returned earlier than usual this year so the infection was spreading rapidly across the region.

The bird flu has caused the price of chicken eggs - which is already high amid inflation and soaring prices for food products - to soar to the highest price in 29 years.