MIYAZAKI (Kyodo) The bird flu epidemic may be spreading in Miyazaki Prefecture after chickens tested positive for a highly pathogenic avian flu virus Friday in two more locations.
In what could be the season's fourth and fifth outbreak in the prefecture, chickens at poultry farms in Nobeoka and Kawaminami tested positive for bird flu in preliminary tests.
The Nobeoka poultry farm found six of its chickens had died recently, while the Kawaminami farm saw more than 400 chickens die after exhibiting specific symptoms. The local government has decided to cull about 92,000 birds at the Kawaminami farm and conduct a detailed investigation.