Tokyo, March 6 – Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries has confirmed a bird flu outbreak at a poultry farm in Abira, Hokkaido, marking the fourth case in the northern region this season and the 21st nationwide.
The affected farm houses approximately 190,000 chickens. Local authorities were notified by the farm on Wednesday, with rapid tests that same day yielding positive results, later confirmed through genetic testing on Thursday. To prevent further spread, all birds on the farm will be culled, incinerated, and buried.
Bird flu season in Japan typically spans from late autumn through spring. The H5N1 avian influenza virus, first detected in 1996, has caused recurrent outbreaks in poultry worldwide. Since 2020, a variant of the H5 clade has led to unprecedented deaths in wild birds and poultry across Africa, Asia, and Europe, spreading to North America in 2021 and Central and South America in 2022.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), avian influenza primarily affects birds and mammals, with rare human infections linked to close contact with infected animals or contaminated environments. Human-to-human transmission remains extremely limited, but the virus carries a high fatality rate—over 50% in documented cases since 2003.
Health experts urge strict biosecurity measures in poultry farming and vigilance among those handling birds. Japan’s swift response underscores the ongoing global challenge of containing this highly pathogenic strain, as authorities monitor for any signs of wider dissemination.