The bird flu outbreak has been reported from some parts of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan:
Bird Flu cases have been reported from several places in the country. In Himachal Pradesh, the Kangra Kangra District Magistrate today issued order, completely prohibiting sale/purchase/export of any poultry/birds/fish of any breed/age and their related products (eggs, meat, chicken etc) in Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali and Indora areas of Kangra. No movement of humans shall be allowed within one km radius of Pong Dam or alert zone declared by Kangra district administration, said the official order.
Samples of five dead bar-headed goose birds at Wildlife Sanctuary, Pong Dam, Himachal Pradesh have been found positive for H5N1 avian influenza virus, ANI reported. Dr Vikram Singh, a senior veterinary pathologist of State Animal Husbandry Department, said that for the last 3-4 days, there has been large-scale mortality among bar-headed goose (migratory birds). As per the latest records, around 1,775 birds have died in the last few days.
BIRD FLU IN KERALA
The bird flu outbreak has been reported from some parts of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts in Kerala. The authorities have ordered culling of ducks, hens and other domestic birds in and around one km radius of the affected areas.
According to a PTI report, Kottayam district authorities said bird flu was reported from a duck farm in Neendoor. Around 1,500 ducks have died in the farm. Similarly, bird flu outbreak was also reported from some farms in Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district.
The State Animal Husbandry Minister K Raju said in Thiruvananthapuram that the government would compensate farmers whose domestic birds will be culled. According to the state officials, some 40,000 birds will have to be culled to check the spread of the H5N8 virus.
The Kerala government confirmed an outbreak of avian influenza in the Alappuzha and Kottayam districts January 4, 2021. Hundreds of ducks have died during the last 10 days in both districts.
Five of eight samples sent for testing at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, were found to be positive for the H5N8 strain of bird flu. Kerala’s forest and animal husbandry minister K Raju confirmed this January 4.
Raju said as many as 12,000 ducks had died due to the infection in parts of Alappuzha and Kottayam. He added that emergency control rooms led by district veterinary officers had been opened in both districts.
As many as 36,000 birds may have to be culled to prevent the spread of the virus infection based on the guidelines from the central government. The state government will decide the compensation for farmers who have lost their flocks because of the infection.
Rapid response teams have been constituted to begin culling of birds within a one-kilometre radius from where the H5N8 strain was confirmed, according to the district animal husbandry officer, Alappuzha,
The culling operations to prevent the spread of H5N8 strain would continue for a week or more.
Mass deaths of ducks were reported from the Nedumudi, Thakazhi, Pallipad and Karuvatta areas in the coastal Alappuzha district.
“About 1,650 ducklings belonging to a single farmer’s flock had died at Neendur town,” M Anjana, district collector, Kottayam said.
As many as 8,000 birds in a nearby farm also need to be culled as a result of these deaths. The collector added that local fishing in a limited area had been temporarily banned as part of the surveillance and preventive measures.
About eight rapid response teams have been formed in Kottayam to undertake surveillance and preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.
Experts have said that unless a mutated strain emerges, the possibility of the infection’s transmission to humans can be ruled out. They pointed to the arrival of migratory birds as the likely cause of the infection.
Kerala had reported H5N8 infections in 2016 too. That had led to the mass culling of birds.
Various state departments, including the health department have stepped up their surveillance measures to prevent the spread of the infection. A state-wide alert has been issued following the confirmation of the presence of the avian influenza virus.
BIRD FLU IN MADHYAPRADESH
Bird flu cases have been confirmed in dead crows in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.
The Madhya Pradesh government sounded Bird flu alert after the dreaded virus was found in dead crows in Indore. Notably, crows were also found dead in Mandsaur, Agar-Malwa, Khargone and Sehore.
Nearly 400 crows have died due to viral infection so far in 7-8 districts of Madhya Pradesh. The virus is not found in poultry, it is airborne and there is no vaccine for it. We believe it came from Rajasthan, said Dr RK Rokde, director of Animal Husbandry Department, MP.
From December 23, 2020, to January 3, 2021, 142 crows were found dead in Indore, 100 in Mandsaur, 112 in Agar-Malwa, 13 in Khargone and 9 in Sehore district.
The administration has asked the officials to keep a strict watch on markets selling poultry and poultry products, farms, reservoirs and sites of migratory birds.
"Nearly 50 crows were found dead on the campus of Daly College. Some of the carcasses were sent for tests to Bhopal. They were found to be carrying the H5N8 virus," Indores acting Chief Medical and Health Officer Poornima Gadaria said.
BIRD FLU IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
Bird flu has been detected in the state in the migratory birds found dead at Pong Dam Lake in Himachal Pradesh’s Kangra district. Himachal is the fourth state to report cases of the dreaded avian influenza in recent days. As many as 1,800 migratory birds, most of them bar-headed geese, were found dead in the lake sanctuary so far. PTI reported Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Archana Sharma as saying that the laboratory at the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly detected avian influenza in the samples of dead birds.
BIRD FLU IN RAJASTHAN
Officials
in the state said on Monday (January 4, 2021) that over 170 new bird
deaths were reported in Rajasthan today. As per the Animal Husbanry
department, over 425 deaths of crows, herons and other birds have been
reported in the state so far, PTI reported.
The
officials said that in Jhalawar, carcass samples sent to the National
Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) confirmed bird flu
recently. However, the death report of birds in other districts is yet
to come. Deaths of over 425 birds, mostly corws, have been reported in
parts of the state so far. Bird flu has been confirmed only in Jhalawar,
report of other deaths is yet to come, PTI quoted the officials as
saying.
The Rajasthan government has also sounded bird flu alert after
confirmation of avian influenza in crows that died in Jhalawar district
last week. Over 250 crows were found dead in half a dozen districts in
the state.
In Rajasthan, bird deaths have been reported in 15 districts of the state. 80 bird deaths were reported in Bikaner on January 3, 42 in Sawai Madhopur, 12 in Kota, 12 in Baran, eight each in Pali and Jaipur, six in Dausa, five in Jodhpur and two in Jhalawar
Dausa Collector Piyush Samariya said that five dead birds have been found dead. Animal husbandry and forest officials have taken samples and sent them for testing. We are closely monitoring the situation, he said.
When asked whether the administration will order the culling of the birds, Samariya said as of now the tests are being awaited and there has been no order to kill the birds.
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