Emergency containment measures were put in place in Rampur district after laboratory tests confirmed an outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) there.
The virus was diagnosed in the poultry birds in Rampur’s Bilaspur tehsil, which borders Rudrapur in Uttarakhand, prompting the local administration to launch public awareness announcements across the city on Monday evening.
Between 7 pm and 10 pm, municipal teams carried out loudspeaker advisories and shut down chicken and egg shops in areas such as Nagar Palika Road, Shahbad Gate Road, Diamond Road, Civil Lines, and Malgodam.
The action came after hundreds of poultry animals died in the area. In Bilaspur’s Sehor village, the outbreak caused the deaths of an estimated 15,000 chickens at a poultry farm. SDM Arun Kumar and CVO Dr. Vedpal Singh said confirmation from Bhopal arrived Sunday evening after initial tests from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly proved inconclusive.
The Sehor farm has been sealed, all workers evacuated, and under police security, the remaining birds are being culled and buried on-site. Prohibitory orders have also been imposed in the area.
Initially, complaints from villagers were not acted upon with urgency, but swift measures were implemented after test results from a Bhopal laboratory confirmed bird flu.
{{/usCountry}}Initially, complaints from villagers were not acted upon with urgency, but swift measures were implemented after test results from a Bhopal laboratory confirmed bird flu.
{{/usCountry}}A one-kilometre containment zone has now been sealed off around the affected poultry farm, and surveillance has been ramped up across all 11 registered farms in Bilaspur and 30 others in the district. Poultry farms within a 10-kilometre radius will undergo sampling every 15 days for the next three months, with clearance only after consistent negative test results.
Chief veterinary officer (CVO) Dr. Ved Prakash confirmed that the detected strain was highly contagious, stressing the need for continued inspections.
The outbreak has caused alarm in nearby villages. On Sunday, villagers from Sehor, Sihora, and Jafrabad met Minister of State Baldev Singh Aulakh, who urged district officials to resolve the issue without delay.
Health and veterinary teams were on high alert in both bordering districts.