NARA: Nara Prefecture on Sunday announced an outbreak of avian influenza believed to be highly pathogenic at a chicken farm in the city of Gojo in the western Japan prefecture.

This marked the 16th case of highly pathogenic bird flu being confirmed at a chicken farm in Japan this year and the first in Nara. Of the 15 other cases, 10 occurred in the western prefecture of Kagawa, three in the southwestern prefecture of Miyazaki, and one each in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, and Fukuoka Prefecture, southwestern Japan.

The Nara prefectural government will cull some 83,000 chickens at the farm in Gojo. Restrictions on the movement were imposed for about 47,000 chickens raised in areas of 10 kilometers from the affected facility.

On Saturday morning, the Gojo farm reported to the prefectural government an increase in the number of dead chickens there.

A survey later found the deaths of about 30 chickens at the farm. Bird flu infections were confirmed through a simple test and a genetic examination, according to the prefecture.

JIJI Press