Gurugram puts in place teams, plans to tackle bird flu

The Gurugram animal husbandry department on Thursday said it was on high alert to check for and respond to suspected cases of avian influenza virus (AIV) that has

The Gurugram animal husbandry department on Thursday said it was on high alert to check for and respond to suspected cases of avian influenza virus (AIV) that has already killed thousands of birds in many states. It has received an action plan for every district from its headquarters.

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According to the plan, 28 rapid response teams have been formed in Gurugram for clinical surveillance at poultry farms and bird markets that is likely to start on Friday.

Each team will have three members-- a veterinary officer, a para-veterinarian and a livestock handler. Flock inspections to check for dead or sick poultry will be carried out in backyard hatcheries, industrial farms, live bird markets and wet markets in the district. A retraining workshop for veterinary officers has been organised earlier in the day, to train those who have not previously dealt with flu outbreaks.

Sub-divisional officers (SDOs) and district lab staff also attended a state-level webinar on Thursday afternoon where protocols for diagnosing AIV were discussed.

An SDO assigned to the animal husbandry department, who attended the meeting, said, “We were told to ensure that our local lab has the equipment and experienced staff needed to test for other diseases which affect poultry and share symptoms with bird flu, such as Newcastle disease or Marek’s disease. Without being able to do this differential diagnosis, it will be hard to say for sure whether we are dealing with AIV or something else.”

While clinical inspections are going to be ramped up in coming days, there are presently no plans to conduct viral or serosurveillance for AIV, though this is mandated in the action plan received by the district (a copy of which is with Hindustan Times).

“No suspicious deaths are being reported from poultry farms, and the state government has not yet notified an outbreak, so we don’t want to jump the gun. If we get orders, we will immediately dispatch a sample of 39 dead or sick birds for confirmatory testing,” said a veterinary officer, on condition of anonymity.

Taking stock

In addition, the district animal husbandry department is also taking stock of various tools typically needed to contain bird flu outbreaks, including gunny sacks, fogging machines, disinfectants and medical implements.

“We are well stocked and in touch with vendors. We have enough enough PPE, which we stocked up on immediately after the Covid lockdown. We are low on Oseltamivir, a prophylactic medicine taken by front line responders, but procuring more supplies is not an issue,” said the veterinary officer cited above.

The wildlife department on Thursday also said they are scanning for bird carcasses around wetlands and parks. “I spoke with the animal husbandry department today and it has been decided to send any and all bird carcasses we find hereon for testing, be it a crow, pigeon, egret or some rarer migratory species. We have not found any such specimen today. There is no truth to rumours that an unusual number of crows or pigeons are dying in Tau Devi Lal biodiversity park,” said Rajesh Chahal, district wildlife inspector.

Dr Punita Gahlot, deputy director of Gurugram’s animal husbandry department confirmed that an action plan had been received from the state government. “There has not been any order yet to halt the movement and sale of poultry,” she said.

Poultry meat

When asked if consuming poultry was safe, Gahlot drew attention to the FAQs section of AIV action plan, which states, “In areas experiencing outbreaks, poultry can be safely consumed provided these items are properly cooked... The avian influenza virus is sensitive to heat. Normal temperatures used for cooking (70 degrees Celsius in all parts of the food) will kill the virus. Consumers need to be sure that all parts of the poultry are fully cooked (no “pink” parts) and that eggs, too, are properly cooked (no “runny” yolks).”

Gurugram currently has an estimated poultry population of 1,48,532, among the lowest in Haryana. Karnal has the highest, with an estimated poultry population of 94,69,646 (and a surveillance sample of 113 birds).

The outbreak of avian influenza was confirmed in four states — Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala on Thursday. Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have since sent bird samples for testing. In Haryana, the cause of recent deaths of lakhs of poultry chicken in Panchkula district has yet to be determined, according to state level officials who declined to speak on record. Lab reports from the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) in Jalandhar are yet to come, they said.

Dr Sukhdev Rathee, state deputy director of animal husbandry department, could not be reached for comment.