MITO: An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed at a poultry farm in the town of Yachiyo, Ibaraki Prefecture, eastern Japan, the prefectural government said Sunday.

This is the 16th outbreak in the country this season, and the first in Ibaraki. At the Yachiyo farm, about 1.1 million egg-laying hens will be culled, the largest number so far this season.

The prefectural government received a report from the farm on Saturday, and simple tests found eight out of 10 birds positive for the virus. The infection was later confirmed by genetic tests.

In Ibaraki, a total of about 12 million chickens were kept on farms as of February this year, according to the prefectural government.

So far this season, a total of about 1.67 million birds have been culled in 15 outbreaks in 11 prefectures across the country, according to the agriculture ministry.

JIJI Press