According to a report submitted to the World Organization of Animal Health on February 14th, an outbreak of H5N6 highly pathogenic avian influenza was diagnosed in a flock of 14,000 broiler breeders in Minamisatsuma City in Kagoshima Province, Japan. The affected flock was depopulated, and restrictions imposed on movement of poultry and products within a radius of 1.9 miles with appropriate surveillance of farms within a six-mile radius.
From October 2023 onwards during the Fall seasonal epornitic, Japan recorded 84 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 26 of 47 prefectures with depopulation of 17.7 million birds comprising broilers and commercial egg production flocks.