Overview
- Aomori Prefecture confirmed a highly pathogenic bird flu outbreak at a laying-hen farm in Tohoku Town after genetic testing.
- Officials began culling about 230,000 hens at the affected site as part of standard disease control.
- The farm had reported a sharp rise in chicken deaths, and a rapid test on 10 birds returned positive results before confirmation by genetic tests.
- The prefecture restricted shipments of chickens and eggs from two nearby farms located 3 to 10 kilometers from the outbreak.
- Authorities set a tentative timeline to complete culling and will consider lifting movement curbs only after disinfection and negative follow-up tests.