鳥インフルで緊急会議　都道府県に対策強化呼び掛け―農水省

　農林水産省は２１日、高病原性鳥インフルエンザが各地の養鶏場で相次いでいることを受け、都道府県の担当者らとオンラインで緊急会議を開き、さらなる拡大防止に向けて衛生管理を一段と強化するよう呼び掛けた。
　会議の冒頭、江藤拓農水相は「卵の需給や価格、国民の食卓にも大変な影響を及ぼすことがある。緊張感を持って対応いただきたい」と述べた。（2024/11/21-17:20）

Japan's agriculture ministry held an emergency online meeting with officials from prefectural governments across the country on Thursday, in response to the ongoing spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza in the country.
   The ministry urged them to step up sanitary controls to prevent the disease from spreading further.
   The disease "could have a huge impact on egg supplies and prices, and thus on people's diets," agriculture minister Taku Eto said at the beginning of the meeting. "I would like you to respond with a sense of urgency."
   In addition to conventional countermeasures, the ministry called for measures such as sprinkling water during ventilation of poultry houses to prevent the virus from entering with dust. It also requested the postponement of non-urgent facility construction to prevent visitors from bringing in the virus.
   This season, a total of 10 bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed in eight prefectures as of noon Thursday, starting with one in the northernmost prefecture of Hokkaido on Oct. 17. Cases are increasing at a pace comparable to that of 2022, when a record number of cases occurred.