Japan culls 10,000 chickens to contain bird flu

January 22, 2011

Japan began slaughtering some 10,000 chickens Saturday at a poultry farm in western Miyazaki prefecture in a bid to contain an outbreak of bird flu, the local government said.

Officials in the prefecture, 900 kilometres (560 miles) southwest of Tokyo, said 36 chickens were found dead on Friday at the poultry farm.

Preliminary tests confirmed that six of the birds had died of the H5 subtype of the virus, the officials said.

In an effort to prevent a larger outbreak, the local government decided to slaughter all the chickens at the farm while setting up 20 checkpoints for disinfection and banned any movement of within 10 kilometres.

It was the first outbreak since 2007 in Miyazaki, where a foot-and-mouth outbreak also forced the slaughter of almost 300,000 farm animals last year.

In Tokyo, Prime Minister Naoto Kan set up a task force Saturday morning to "promptly" introduce necessary measures to contain the bird flu outbreak, officials said.

(c) 2011 AFP


Rank not rated yet
Relevant PhysicsForums posts

More news stories

Family history of Alzheimer's affects functional connectivity

(HealthDay) -- Cognitively normal individuals with a family history of late-onset Alzheimer's disease (AD) may display lower resting state functional connectivity in the default mode network (DMN) of the brain, ...

Medicine & Health / Alzheimer's disease & dementia

created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Transvaginal mesh op restores pelvic organ prolapse at price

(HealthDay) -- Transvaginal mesh (TVM) procedures are effective for anatomical restoration of pelvic organ prolapse (POP), but patients report a worsening of sexual function following surgery, according to ...

Medicine & Health / Other

created 5 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Travel to high altitudes tied to Crohn's, colitis flare-ups

(HealthDay) -- People with inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn's disease and colitis, may be at increased risk for flare-ups when they fly or travel to high altitudes for skiing or mountain climbing, ...

Medicine & Health / Inflammatory disorders

created 6 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Skp2 activates cancer-promoting, glucose-processing Akt

HER2 and its epidermal growth factor receptor cousins mobilize a specialized protein to activate a major player in cancer development and sugar metabolism, scientists report in the May 25 issue of Cell.

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created 23 hours ago | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Tongue analysis software uses ancient Chinese medicine to warn of disease

For 5,000 years, the Chinese have used a system of medicine based on the flow and balance of positive and negative energies in the body. In this system, the appearance of the tongue is one of the measures used to classify ...

Medicine & Health / Other

created 21 hours ago | popularity 1 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast


SpotterRF debuts Radar Backpack Kit (w/ Video)

(Phys.org) -- SpotterRF has announced a special radar backpack kit designed to enhance situational awareness for soldiers on the ground. The company says its special radar is designed for warfighters as part ...

Australia hails surprise super-telescope decision

Australia has hailed a surprise decision giving it a role in a radio telescope project aimed at revolutionising astronomy, vowing to draw on its decades of experience in space science.

Astronomers seize last chance in lifetime for Venus Transit

Astronomers are gearing for one the rarest events in the Solar System: an alignment of Earth, Venus and the Sun that will not be seen for another 105 years.

SpaceX capsule has 'new car' smell, astronauts say

SpaceX's Dragon cargo vessel smells like a new car, said astronauts at the International Space Station after opening the hatches Saturday following the spacecraft's landmark mission to the orbiting lab.

Thousands of shellfish found dead in Peru

Thousands of crustaceans were found dead off the coast of Lima following the mystery mass death of dolphins and pelicans, the Peruvian Navy said Friday.

Astronauts enter world's 1st private supply ship

(AP) -- Space station astronauts floated into the Dragon on Saturday, a day after its heralded arrival as the world's first commercial supply ship.