Uttarakhand on bird flu alert, over 500 bird samples tested from Kumaon region

So far, deaths of hens have been reported from poultry farms in Udham Singh Nagar and Tehri Garhwal districts.

Over 500 poultry samples from different farms in the Kumaon region have been tested as the state continues to remain on alert over avian influenza.

Image for representation. (File photo)

Dr Ravindra Chandra, chief veterinary officer of Almora district, said, “Over 500 samples from different poultry farms from Bageshwar, Pithoragarh and Almora districts have been tested in the past one and half months. There is no case of bird flu in poultry farms across the state so far. We are taking all precautions with regular sanitisation and testing.”

Meanwhile, a press release issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) through the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Friday mentioned, “Till January 22, 2021, outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird flu) have been confirmed in nine states (Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab) for poultry birds…. Avian Influenza has been confirmed in poultry samples from Almora (RK Pura, Hawalbagh) district of Uttarakhand…”

However, officials from the state animal husbandry department said that there is some confusion with the results and that no poultry animal in the state has tested positive for bird flu.

“As part of regular monitoring, we had sent samples of poultry from RK Puram and Hawal Bagh for testing in mid-December, the results of which have now come out to be positive. This could be a false positive report as none of the poultry have shown any symptoms, neither has there been any mortality. We have sent a report on this to the state animal husbandry department which is in talks with the Centre regarding the matter,” added Dr Chandra.

Dr BC Karnatak, additional director of Kumaon division for animal husbandry department, said that regular samples are being collected from different poultry farms across the region and being tested at two centres - Rudrapur in Udham Singh Nagar district and Hawalbagh in Almora.

“We are looking into the matter of samples testing positive for Avian influenza from Almora, as the samples were sent around December 15, when there was no case of bird flu. The type of sample which has tested positive is not always a strong indicator of bird flu. As of now, there is no case of bird flu in poultry farms in the state,” said Dr Karnatak.

So far, deaths of hens have been reported from poultry farms in Udham Singh Nagar and Tehri Garhwal districts. Seven hens were found dead in a poultry farm in Bajpur area of US Nagar district on Wednesday. On Tuesday, around 150 hens were found dead in a poultry farm in Tehri Garhwal district. Samples from the farms have been sent for testing.