Bird flu confirmed in 5 states for poultry, culling operations underway

The outbreak of avian influenza (AI) has been confirmed in five states for poultry birds and in nine states for crows, migratory and (or) wild birds, the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying said on Monday, adding that culling operations are underway.

Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Chhattisgarh are among the five states where culling of poultry birds is being done by rapid response teams (RRTs), the ministry said.

The central team formed for monitoring the situation in the affected areas of the country is visiting the affected sites. So far, it has visited Maharashtra to monitor the epicenters of AI outbreak and conducting epidemiological studies in Kerala.

Bird flu or avian influenza is spread mainly by migratory birds coming into the country during winter months between September and March. The disease is known to be zoonotic, which can spread from animals to humans, though no such case has surfaced so far.

The flu has also been confirmed in samples of dead heron in the national capital’s Tis Hazari area and an advisory has been issued to the Delhi government in this regard, the ministry said in a statement.

Talking about the status in Maharashtra, the Centre said that culling of poultry birds is underway in all the affected epicentres. According to the statement, culling operations have been completed in the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO), Mumbai and cleaning and disinfection is in process. Culling and sanitisation operations have also been completed in the epicenters of Latur district in village Kendrewadi, Ahmedpur, village Sukani, and village Tondar (Vajrawadi) in Udgir taluk and village Kurdwadi in Ausa taluk, it added

The department of animal husbandry and dairying is taking continuous efforts to generate awareness about avian flu through various platforms including social media like Twitter, Facebook handles, the statement said.

“Ensure regular disinfection of coops as infected #poultry can transmit #AvianInfluenza virus to susceptible birds through contaminated secretions!,” the department wrote on Twitter.