Tokyo, Nov 10 (UNI/Sputnik) Health authorities in Japan`s Akita Prefecture are set to cull more than 140,000 chickens after registering the first outbreak of avian influenza this season in the region, the Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday.
Over the past two days, 190 dead hens have been found at one of chicken farms in the city of Yokote in Akita Prefecture. Genetic analysis confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic bird flu H5 strain in some individuals, according to the Japanese broadcaster.
A quarantine has been introduced for the chicken and eggs transportation within a 10-feet radius around the farm where the hotbeds of the disease were detected. Export of chickens and eggs has been prohibited beyond the 33-feet radius. In total, 143,000 chickens will be culled.