Medical facilities across China are struggling with a sharp rise in influenza cases, driven not by the usual winter flu but by the H3N2 strain.

Japanese authorities have confirmed a new outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza at a poultry farm in the central prefecture of Niigata, marking the country’s third case this season, local officials said Tuesday.

Japan has reported its first bird flu outbreak of the season after authorities confirmed the presence of the highly pathogenic H5 strain at a poultry farm in the northern prefecture of Hokkaido.

The World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) reported on Wednesday that outbreaks of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus have struck farms in Germany and Portugal.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 virus was confirmed in poultry at a premises in southwestern England, the UK government said on Sunday.