Chiba, Nov. 13 (Jiji Press)–An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a chicken farm in Asahi, Chiba Prefecture, eastern Japan, the prefectural government said Friday. It is the second bird flu case at a Japanese poultry farm this season. The prefecture will cull about 40,000 egg-laying chickens at the farm and prohibit the transportation of 5.62 million chickens at 49 farms within a 10-kilometer radius from the Asahi farm. The Chiba government received a report from the Asahi farm Thursday that the number of dead chickens was rising there. A simple test produced a positive result, which was confirmed early Friday through genetic testing. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
