E-Paper
Karnataka’s border districts adjoining Kerala on high alert due to bird flu fears
Officials of the Karnataka Animal Husbandry ministry said that they have been instructed to collect samples from places where birds migrate to and send them for testing.
The Karnataka government has ordered all the districts bordering Kerala including Mysuru, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada and Chamrajnagar to be on high alert following the outbreak of bird flu (H5N8) there. Border checkpoints have been set up in all these districts to prevent infected birds along with poultry from being brought in from the neighbouring state. Sanitisation measures have also been put in place.
Karnataka Animal Husbandry minister Prabhu Chavan has asked officials of his department to ensure that the Centre’s protocols regarding the matter are strictly adhered to. Mysuru DC Rohini Sindhuri said that till now no reports of bird flu have come from anywhere in the district. Last year thousands of birds had to be culled due to bird flu in the district. There has been no decision taken on closing the Mysuru Zoo temporarily which also attracts a large migratory avian population, the DC added.
Officials of the Karnataka Animal Husbandry ministry said that they have been instructed to collect samples from places where birds migrate to and send them for testing. “We are taking all precautionary measures though there have been no reports of wild birds having been infected till now. All the guidelines and protocols outlined by the Centre in its advisory are being strictly implemented,” an official of the ministry added.
