Japan: Hokkaido Farm Tests Positive For HPAI

#12,023


Japan - which, despite dozens of H5N6 detections in wildlife has managed to keep poultry farm infections down to the low single digits (n=4) - reports a poultry farm in their northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido has tested positive for HPAI -  the first new farm infection in two weeks.

The field test for testing birds doesn't yield the exact subtype, and so it may be a day or two before we learn if this is due to HPAI H5N6. 

Press release

Confirmation of cases suspected of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Hokkaido and holding of "Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Against Avian Influenza Quarantine Headquarters"

December 16, Heisei 28

Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries

Today, we have confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, a domestic animal infectious disease, on the egg-picking chicken farm in Hokkaido. Following this, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries today hosted the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry's Response Headquarters for Avian Influenza, and decided on future response policy.

The farm refrains from moving farm animals etc. from the time when the farmers reported.

In Japan, there have been no reported cases of human infection with avian influenza virus by eating poultry meat and poultry eggs.
Since coverage at the work site may cause spread of the disease and it may invade the privacy of the farmers, we ask for your cooperation in order to refrain seriously.

1. Outline of farm

Location: Hokkaido Kamikawa-gun (Kamikawa-kun) Shimizu-cho (Shimizucho)
Feeding situation: Hatching chickens (about 210,000 birds)

2. Background

(1) Today, Hokkaido received a report to the effect that dead egg laying chickens had increased, asked the farm to refrain from moving and conducted on-site inspection on the farm.

(2) For the egg-laying hens, a simple influenza test was performed and positive.

(3) Currently, genetic testing for the egg-laying hens is under way.

(Continue . . . )

Meanwhile, Japan's Ministry of Environment has issued another 25 press releases on non-farm detections of HPAI since we last looked in on Monday. The outbreak map, which I featured late last week, is no longer appears on the MOE site, but we do have the following running tally: 

 

Highly pathogenic avian influenza confirmed number in wild birds (breeding birds, feces, including water samples)
2016 December 15 13:30 current 12 prefectures 65 reviews

Not all of the detections of HPAI in wild birds or the environment have been tested as to subtype, but all those that have been tested have come back as HPAI H5N6.

The list of press releases since Monday follow:

• 2016 December 15, for the type A avian influenza virus simple test positive in the death of wild birds, Ibaraki Prefecture (H28.12.15 19:30)
• 2016 December 15, for the type A avian influenza virus simple test positive in the death of wild birds Hokkaido (H28.12.15 18:30)
• 2016 December 15, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza wild birds due to the occurrence urgent investigation results of the investigation by a team of in Fukushima Prefecture (H28.12.15 17:30)
• 2016 December 15, for the type A avian influenza virus genetic testing positive in the death of wild birds, Aomori Prefecture (H28.12.15 17:00)
• 2016 December 15, for investigation of the results of wild bird emergency research team associated with the highly pathogenic avian influenza occurrence in Hokkaido (H28.12.15 16:00)
• 2016 December 15, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza confirmed positive test in the death of wild birds, Aomori Prefecture (H28.12.15 13:30)
  
• 2016 December 14, for the type A avian influenza virus simple test positive in the death of wild birds, Ibaraki Prefecture (H28.12.14 18:30)
• 2016 December 14, for the type A avian influenza virus genetic testing positive in the death of wild birds, Niigata Prefecture (H28.12.14 18:00)
• 2016 December 14, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza The simple test positive in Aichi Prefecture, the zoo, etc. (H28.12.14 17:00)
• 2016 December 14, for the type A avian influenza virus simple test positive in wild birds in Mie Prefecture (H28.12.14 16:30)
• For the dispatch of emergency investigation team in the highly pathogenic avian influenza-positive case in 2016 December 14, Hokkaido of death wild birds (H28.12.14 14:00)
• 2016 December 14 for defined test negative in the death of wild birds, Nagano Prefecture (H28.12.14 11:30)
• 2016 December 13, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza confirmed positive test in the death of wild birds, Ibaraki Prefecture and Niigata Prefecture (H28.12.13 20:15)
• 2016 December 13, for the type A avian influenza virus genetic testing positive in the death of wild birds, Fukushima Prefecture (H28.12.13 17:00)
• 2016 December 13, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza confirmed positive test in Aichi Prefecture, the zoo, etc. (H28.12.13 16:30)
• 2016 December 13, survey results about the wild birds emergency investigation team of Tottori Prefecture (H28. 12.13 16:30)
• 2016 December 13, for the type A avian influenza virus simple test positive in the death of wild birds, Ibaraki Prefecture (H28 12 13 16:00)
• For the dispatch of emergency investigation team in the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus-positive case in 2016 December 13, Nagoya Higashiyama Zoo (H28.12.13 15:30)
• 2016 December 13 for defined test negative in the death of wild birds, Miyagi Prefecture (H28.12.13 14:00)
• 2016 December 13, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza simple positive in death bird of Aichi Prefecture (H28.12.13 13:00)
• 2016 December 13, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus confirmed positive test in deterministic test negative and Hokkaido of death wild bird in the death of wild birds, Aomori Prefecture (H28.12.13 12:00)
• 2016 December 12, for the type A avian influenza virus simple test-positive case in the death of wild birds Hokkaido (H28.12.12 20:00)
• 2016 December 12, for the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus confirmed positive test in the death of wild birds, Niigata Prefecture and Ibaraki Prefecture (H28.12.12 19: 00)
• For the dispatch of emergency investigation team in the highly pathogenic avian influenza-positive case in 2016 December 12-day mortality of wild birds, Fukushima Prefecture (H28.12.12 18:00)
• 2016 December 12, for the type A avian influenza virus simple test-positive case in the death of wild birds, Tochigi Prefecture (H28.12.12 17:30)