Packaged chicken are pictured at a supermarket in Tokyo, Japan, Nov 27, 2023. An outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a poultry farm in Japan's eastern prefecture of Ibaraki has been confirmed, the farm ministry said on Monday, marking the second bird flu outbreak in the country this season. (PHOTO / XINHUA)

TOKYO — A highly pathogenic avian influenza virus of the H5 subtype has been detected in a wild bird found in central Tokyo, marking the first instance of avian influenza infection in a wild bird during the current avian flu season in the city, according to local authorities.

The body of a buzzard, or Buteo japonicus, was discovered in the central Chiyoda Ward of Tokyo last Tuesday, and the preliminary test results conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government were negative, according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Environmental Bureau.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government has designated a 10-kilometer radius around the location where the dead bird was found as a key monitoring area for wild birds

Subsequent genetic testing by the National Institute for Environmental Studies, however, confirmed that the buzzard was indeed infected with the highly pathogenic H5 subtype of avian influenza, information released by the bureau on Monday showed.

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Data from the Japanese Ministry of the Environment indicated that this is the first time during the current avian influenza season that Tokyo has detected a case of avian influenza infection in a wild bird.

Across Japan, more than 40 cases of wild birds infected with avian influenza have been reported.

In response to the discovery, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government has designated a 10-kilometer radius around the location where the dead bird was found as a key monitoring area for wild birds.

Poultry farmers, parks, zoos, and other relevant entities within the metropolitan area were also urged to heighten vigilance, strengthen monitoring, and implement preventive measures.

READ MORE: NHK: Japan detects season's first bird flu case

Last week, the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries reported two outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in farms located in prefectures of Saitama and Kagoshima, bringing the occurrences of avian influenza outbreaks on poultry farms in Japan during the current influenza season to four in total.