On Nov. 29 Kagoshima Prefecture announced that a crane found in a weakened state in Izumi City, a major stopover for the migratory birds, was carrying the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of avian flu. The area around Izumi is one Japan’s largest poultry farming regions, but the Prefecture says there have been no reports of infections from any of the chicken farms within a 10km radius of the site where the sick bird was found. There are 910,000 chickens within a 3km radius and 5.05 million within a 10km radius of the site of the confirmed virus. The Prefectural Government has set up a task force and will begin inspecting the 33 chicken farms within a 3km radius. It will also distribute 140 tons of hydrated lime to the 141 chicken farms within a 10km radius. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun 11/30
