ID :
158187
Wed, 01/26/2011 - 19:03
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/158187
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More prefectures find birds suspected of flu infection
TOKYO, Jan. 26 Kyodo - The bird flu epidemic may have spread by Wednesday to three other prefectures where the local governments said they have found chickens and wild birds suspected of being infected with the avian flu virus, following outbreaks this winter in such prefectures as Shimane, Miyazaki and Kagoshima.
The government of Aichi Prefecture in central Japan said four chickens at a poultry farm in the city of Toyohashi tested positive in a preliminary test and it will kill all 150,000 chickens at the farm once the four are confirmed to be infected with a highly pathogenic virus in a more detailed examination.
Later Wednesday, the governments of two other prefectures -- Kochi on Shikoku Island and Shiga in western Japan -- said they have also found mandarin ducks and other wild birds that may be infected with avian flu.
With infections spreading across the country, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in parliament that his Cabinet will ''do its utmost to tackle it.''
On Wednesday, the local governments conducted on-site inspections at farms near where the chickens and birds in question were found and to disinfect them, and ordered farms in neighboring areas to refrain from moving their chickens and eggs.
Meanwhile, the Miyazaki prefectural government said that, in cooperation with Self-Defense Force troops, it has culled 280,000 of 410,000 chickens raised at a poultry farm in the town of Shintomi where the outbreak was confirmed last week, and aims to kill the remainder by the end of Thursday.
But the local government added it will likely take more time to complete the procedure as it has to bury the dead chickens and droppings.
Earlier Thursday, the Kagoshima prefectural government announced that chickens at a poultry farm in the city of Izumi have been confirmed infected with the highly contagious H5 bird flu strain in a detailed examination and that it has already destroyed all 8,600 chickens being raised there.
The government of Aichi Prefecture in central Japan said four chickens at a poultry farm in the city of Toyohashi tested positive in a preliminary test and it will kill all 150,000 chickens at the farm once the four are confirmed to be infected with a highly pathogenic virus in a more detailed examination.
Later Wednesday, the governments of two other prefectures -- Kochi on Shikoku Island and Shiga in western Japan -- said they have also found mandarin ducks and other wild birds that may be infected with avian flu.
With infections spreading across the country, Prime Minister Naoto Kan said in parliament that his Cabinet will ''do its utmost to tackle it.''
On Wednesday, the local governments conducted on-site inspections at farms near where the chickens and birds in question were found and to disinfect them, and ordered farms in neighboring areas to refrain from moving their chickens and eggs.
Meanwhile, the Miyazaki prefectural government said that, in cooperation with Self-Defense Force troops, it has culled 280,000 of 410,000 chickens raised at a poultry farm in the town of Shintomi where the outbreak was confirmed last week, and aims to kill the remainder by the end of Thursday.
But the local government added it will likely take more time to complete the procedure as it has to bury the dead chickens and droppings.
Earlier Thursday, the Kagoshima prefectural government announced that chickens at a poultry farm in the city of Izumi have been confirmed infected with the highly contagious H5 bird flu strain in a detailed examination and that it has already destroyed all 8,600 chickens being raised there.