Bird flu alarm in Japan: 'There is a high risk of contamination'

A bird flu alert was issued in Kyoto, Japan. According to the statement made by the Kyoto Governorate, the highly contagious "H5" variant of bird flu was detected in the tests carried out after the suspicious death of many chickens on a farm in Kameoka city yesterday.

While it was announced that 200 thousand chickens would be culled due to the cases recorded as the first bird flu epidemic seen in Japan this year, the area within a 10 kilometer radius of the quarantined farm was declared a limited movement area. It was noted that chicken and egg shipments from farms within a 3-kilometer radius of the facility were suspended as a precaution.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS ARE IN ACTION

Kyoto Governor Takatoshi Nishiwaki emphasized that he will take all necessary epidemic measures in his statement on the subject and said, "After the tests were positive, the culling process and the implementation of relevant security measures, including the destruction of materials at risk of infection, began. It will take approximately 1 week for all epidemic measures to be completed. However, it is out of the question to release chicken meat or eggs infected with bird flu virus. Therefore, we want our citizens not to worry."

PRECAUTIONARY INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE GOVERNMENT

Japanese Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Arata Takebe also held an emergency meeting with relevant officials after the first bird flu outbreak of the year was confirmed.

In his speech, Takebe instructed the hygiene management on farms to be strictly inspected and said, "I want you to take all possible measures, including early risk notification and comprehensive disinfection, to prevent epidemics and stop the spread of infections."