TOKYO, December 16 – The government of Miyazaki Prefecture in southern Japan said Tuesday three birds at a poultry farm in Nobeoka city have tested postive for a highly pathogenic H5 strain of avian influenza.
Sixteen chickens at the farm were reported dead on Monday with three testing positive for bird flu virus, Xinhua news agency reports.
Ten chickens died on Tuesday.
The local government has begun to cull some 4,000 chickens at the farm since early Tuesday.
Poultry farms have been advised to restrict movement of livestock, said Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.
Miyazaki is Japan’s largest producer of broiler chickens whose output accounts for around 20 percent of all chickens in the country.
-BERNAMA
