Bird flu in Chhattisgarh: 45 wild mynas die in Bijapur, samples to be tested

Amid the bird flu scare, at least 45 mynas were found dead near a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp in Bijapur district of Bastar region in Chhattisgarh, officials said on Wednesday.

The officials said that the samples taken from five mynas have been sent for avian influenza tests and all precautions were being taken.

“There is a CRPF camp in Naimad area where the carcasses of the birds were found on Monday and Tuesday. We rushed to the spot and sent five dead birds for tests on Tuesday evening,” said AP Dohare, deputy director of Veterinary Services.

He further said that while no signs of bird flu have been found in the domestic birds in the district, precautions are being taken.

“After the death of these wild birds, we have formed a rapid action team and are sensitising residents to report any death of wild birds in the district,” said Dohre.

The officer further said that the carcasses of birds found on Monday and Tuesday have been buried as per the protocol and disinfectant has been sprayed in the area.

Till now, Bijapur has not reported a bird flu case but the transportation of poultry birds and products to the district has been stopped.

In Chhattisgarh, the first confirmed case of bird flu was reported in the Balod district on January 14, when over 150 chickens were found dead at GS Poultry Farm in Gidhali village tested positive for the disease.

The Bird flu has been reported in two more districts, Bastar and Dantewada, under the Bastar region, a thickly forested area.

A crow and a pigeon were found dead in Jagdalpur, the headquarters of Bastar district and a crow was found dead in Bacheli town of Dantewada. However, the infection has not been reported in poultry birds in the two districts so far.