Japan discovered dangerous strain of bird flu

The outbreak of the disease in Japan has shown signs of spreading, prompting the country's authorities to order the disinfection of all poultry farms nationwide.

According to Reuters, the strain of bird flu in Japan was determined to be highly virulent, suspected of being brought by migratory birds from the Asian and European continents. Bird flu has spread to 8 out of 47 provinces and cities. Authorities in this country fear that the bird flu virus has the risk of 'spreading to humans and causing a pandemic similar to Covid-19'.

Health workers spray disinfectant and wear protective gear before culling dead flu birds in Mitoyo, western Japan. (Photo: Kyodo).

National broadcaster NHK quoted Katsunobu Kato, a spokesman for the Japanese government, as saying that Japanese officials have called on all poultry farms here to disinfect to prevent an outbreak. "We need to be more vigilant than in previous years , " he said.

Mr. Kotaro Nogami, head of the farm management agency, said that they plan to require poultry rearing and slaughtering facilities nationwide to check hygiene, disinfect hands and equip workers with protective gear. core.

Previously, Japan recorded a dangerous bird flu outbreak in 2016. Starting from Kagawa in early November, the epidemic spread to provinces and cities such as Fukuoka, Hyogo, Miyazaki and Nara.

According to Kyodo News, the farm in Mihara city has begun to destroy about 134,000 chickens. Meanwhile, more than 130,000 chickens in Oita and Wakayama will be slaughtered and destroyed. The export and processing of poultry within a radius of 3km will also be restricted. The planned culling of infected poultry could amount to more than 2 million in this outbreak.