TOKYO, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- Japan's agriculture ministry said on Tuesday that it has confirmed an outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a poultry farm in Saitama Prefecture, marking the country's 12th outbreak this season and the first case in the greater Tokyo area.
The affected farm is located in Ranzan Town, Saitama, north of Tokyo, which raises about 240,000 egg-laying chickens, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The greater Tokyo area comprises Tokyo and the surrounding prefectures of Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa.
The Saitama prefectural government said in a statement that all chickens at the farm will be culled, incinerated and buried. Disinfection efforts around the farm will be strengthened to prevent further spread of the virus, and movement restrictions will also be imposed on poultry at nearby farms, it added.
The agriculture ministry said it will step up measures to prevent further spread and dispatch an epidemiological investigation team to the farm. It also urged prefectural governments nationwide to remain vigilant and to strictly enforce early detection, prompt reporting and hygiene management measures at poultry facilities.
Japan's avian influenza season typically runs from autumn until the following spring. The previous 11th outbreaks this season have already led to the culling of over 3.65 million chickens. ■
