Japan's First Bird Flu Outbreak Hits Greater Tokyo, 240,000 Chickens to be Culled

The affected farm is located in Ranzan Town, Saitama, north of Tokyo, which raises about 240,000 egg-laying chickens, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.

The greater Tokyo area comprises Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.

The Saitama prefectural government said in a statement that all chickens at the farm will be culled, incinerated and buried. Disinfection efforts around the farm will be strengthened to prevent further spread of the virus, and movement restrictions will also be imposed on poultry at nearby farms, it added.

The agriculture ministry said it will step up measures to prevent further spread and dispatch an epidemiological investigation team to the farm. It also urged prefectural governments nationwide to remain vigilant and to strictly enforce early detection, prompt reporting and hygiene management measures at poultry facilities, Xinhua news agency reported.

Japan's avian influenza season typically runs from autumn until the following spring. The previous 11th outbreaks this season have already led to the culling of over 3.65 million chickens.

According to the World Health Organization, avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is a type of zoonotic (or animal) influenza that affects wild birds and poultry and is caused by virus sub-types A(H5N1), A(H9N2). Avian influenza has occasionally infected humans; however it does not easily transmit between humans. The majority of human cases of avian influenza have been associated with direct or indirect contact with infected live or dead poultry.

Since it was first reported in Hong Kong in 1997, the disease has been responsible for human outbreaks and deaths in 16 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Middle East. In 2006, avian influenza caused by the highly pathogenic A(H5N1) influenza virus spread rapidly through the Eastern Mediterranean Region with large non-human outbreaks reported in Afghanistan, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, occupied Palestinian territories, Pakistan and Sudan. Transmission of the A(H5N1) influenza virus from infected birds to humans was confirmed in Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan and. Since then, avian influenza has become endemic among poultry in Egypt.

The incubation period for the A(H5N1) ranges from 2 to 5 days on average and up to 17 days. Symptoms of infection in humans include fever, malaise, cough, sore throat, and muscle aches. Severe disease and death may result from a complication of pneumonia. The case fatality rate for avian influenza among humans is much higher than that for seasonal influenza infection.

- IANS