Kagoshima: The prefectural government of Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, said Sunday that it has confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a local chicken farm.

This marked the fourth bird flu outbreak confirmed at a poultry farm in the nation this season.

Work to cull some 23,000 egg-laying chickens at the farm in the Kagoshima city of Izumi started at 7 a.m. Sunday.

A local livestock hygiene center on Saturday morning received a report of an increase in dead chickens from the farm.

A simple virus test was conducted on 13 dead chickens, and three of them tested positive. Infection was confirmed Sunday in a detailed genetic examination, according to the prefectural government.

JIJI Press