BERLIN -- Germany confirmed Tuesday that it has uncovered a first case of a highly contagious bird flu that has ravaged farms in Belgium and the Netherlands.

The Health Ministry said that tests on a farm in Viersen, in Western Germany near the Dutch border, were positive, confirming fears that the disease had entered the country.

The news prompted Japan, Israel and Poland to level an import ban on German poultry, sources said following a crisis meeting at the Consumer Affairs Ministry in Berlin.

According to AFP, on Friday, veterinary officials had begun slaughtering 32,000 chickens to try to fend off the disease.

Initially, all poultry within one kilometer (0.6 miles) were ordered to be slaughtered as a precaution, nearby roads were sealed off and a disinfection point set up at the entrance.

That was then extended to a three-kilometer radius.

A three-day ban was imposed on the transportation of live poultry within the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and a ban on the movement within 10 kilometers of Viersen of eggs destined for consumption.

In response, the European Commission -- the EU's executive arm -- extended emergency measures Monday that have already been imposed on Belgium and the Netherlands to the German state.

The viral disease, which is highly contagious to chickens, turkeys, ducks and other birds, was spotted in the Netherlands in late February.

Since then it has led to the slaughter of nearly 20 million chickens there and in neighboring Belgium.

Experts say the current outbreak, caused by a virus known as H7N7, is not harmful for people but that the virus could mutate, triggering a potentially dangerous influenza epidemic. Germany, where some 100 million chickens are raised, has warned farmers to be cautious and ask for certificates of origin whenever they buy poultry.