Thousands of poultry deaths reported in Odisha district amid fears of bird flu

Over the past several days, several poultry farms in Puri district have reported an unusual number of deaths.

Updated on: Jul 10, 2025, 10:58:04 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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Five months after bird flu cases were reported in several poultry farms in Odisha’s coastal Puri district, the region is once again witnessing concern, with over 500 poultry deaths recently reported and claims suggesting more than 5,000 bird deaths over the past week.

A worker feeds chickens at a poultry farm. (PTI)

Veterinary department officials in Puri said over the past several days, several poultry farms in the district have reported an unusual number of deaths amid concerns of a bird flu outbreak.

“The deaths have been reported mostly from several villages of Delang area. Though poultry farm owners claim the deaths to be due to avian influenza, we are yet to get a confirmation. We have sent samples of chicken droppings and blood to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease, Bhopal for confirmation,” Puri district chief veterinary officer Dr Sarat Kumar Behera.

Officials said thousands of chicken deaths have been reported in villages like Amula, Sishuapada, Gediput, Matiapada, Beguniapada, Singhabrahmapur, Tinpur and Gadmotata of Delang block. District Chicken Farmers Development Forum advisor Ashok Pradhan said the government should provide assistance to the affected chicken farmers.

In February this year, an outbreak of bird flu or avian influenza was reported from Pipili area of Puri prompting the authorities to cull more than 11,700 chickens after detecting the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Avian influenza, commonly called ‘bird flu’, is a viral infection that spreads in birds but can sometimes spread to humans.

Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Influenza A(H5N1) is the most common cause of bird flu in humans. However, recently, bird flu in humans has been found due to H7N7 and H7N9 strains of the influenza.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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