Japan is currently on high alert due to a worrisome rise in bird flu cases. This situation has escalated after government officials confirmed an outbreak at a major poultry farm in the northern region of Iwate. The agriculture ministry has reported this as the 19th occurrence of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Japan this season.

Since the season began, 1.7 million birds have been culled across 11 prefectures, according to the country’s leading news agency, Jiji Press. In a recent development, an additional 50,000 chickens were culled as a preventive measure to stop the outbreak from spreading further.

This latest outbreak was confirmed on a Sunday after reports from the farm showed a significant increase in bird deaths. Genetic testing identified the virus as the primary cause, which prompted officials to immediately implement containment strategies.

Authorities have imposed movement restrictions on approximately 170,000 birds at two neighboring farms within a three-kilometer radius of the outbreak site.

In addition, a larger surveillance zone covering a ten-kilometer area has been established. This zone prevents the transportation of nearly 3.8 million birds in the surrounding region.

Further reports indicated that other farms also culled 120,000 and 147,000 birds in response to similar infection surges. The measures are aimed at containing the spread and mitigating further risks associated with this highly contagious disease.