Summary
In
February and March 2009, a total of seven quail farms in the Aichi
Prefecture in Japan were found to be infected with an avian influenza
(AI) virus. Low pathogenic AI viruses, subtype H7N6, were isolated
from three of these farms. The infection was eliminated through
the destruction of susceptible birds on the infected premises, movement
controls of quail and other poultry in areas around infected premises,
accompanied by intensive clinical, serological and virological surveillance.
Sentinel quails were used to verify that the infected farms were
free from AI virus before they were restocked. An epidemiological
study revealed that the virus was likely to have been introduced
into the infected area some time ago. Economic losses amounted to
874 million yen (US$9.75 million), mainly accounting for costs incurred
by control and eradication measures and financial support for the
infected farms and farms in the movement control areas.
Keywords
Avian,
Bird flu, Eradication, Flu, Influenza, Japan, Low pathogenic avian
influenza, Quail, Surveillance. |