The officials from Animal Resource Development Department (ARDD) wearing protective gear cull hens in government-run Gandhigram State Poultry Farm after bird flu virus was detected, in the area near Agartala, on Jan 16, 2016.
(IANS)Bird flu has been confirmed in seven states of the country so far, namely Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, while test reports of unusual death of birds received from Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Delhi are awaited, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said on Saturday.
Bird flu or avian influenza is a highly contagious viral infection among birds, although it is also capable of infecting humans and other animals. It is caused by Influenza Type A viruses, which generally affect poultry birds like chickens and turkeys. As is the case with the coronavirus, the Influenza A virus also has many strains. While some are mild and merely cause a low egg production in birds, others can cause severe infections and end up being deadly for the winged creatures.
As per a statement by the ministry, after confirmation of avian influenza (AI) positive samples by the ICAR-NIHSAD from two poultry farms in Panchkula district in Haryana, positive cases of bird flu in migratory birds were reported in Shivpuri, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Agar and Vidisha district in Madhya Pradesh, the zoological park in Kanpur, and Pratapgarh and Dausa districts of Rajasthan. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAH&D) has issued an advisory to the affected states so as to avoid further spread of the disease.
Human infection rare, but possible
Although there are several types of bird flu, the H5N1 strain of influenza is its most common form. Back in 1997, the H5N1 became the first avian influenza virus to infect humans in Hong Kong, and that outbreak was linked to handling infected poultry. At present, there is no significant evidence of the bird flu spreading via human-to-human contact. So far, almost all cases of bird flu infection in humans have been traced back to close contact with infected birds or contaminated environments.
Read more: What is Bird Flu, How It Can Infect Humans, Its Symptoms, Treatment, Death Rate and More
So far this year, no human infection of H5N1 has been confirmed in India. As per the animal husbandry department, avian influenza has been transmitted through migratory birds in the country, a large number of which come to India during the winter season every year from Siberia.
Poultry seller takes additional precautions as bird flu scare hits the sale of chicken in Panchkula, Haryana.
(Nitin Sharma/BCCL Chandigarh)Reports of unusual mortality of birds in the past two days have also been received from Balod district in Chhattisgarh. The state has constituted RRT teams for emergency situation and has also sent the samples for testing to the designated laboratory. Further, reports of unusual mortality in ducks have been received from Sanjay Lake in Delhi. The samples have been sent to the designated laboratory for testing. Samples of dead crows have also been sent to NIHSAD from Mumbai, Thane, Dapoli, Parbhani and Beed districts of Maharashtra for confirmation of AI.
Meanwhile, culling operations have been completed in both the affected districts of Kerala and post-operational surveillance programme guidelines have been issued to the state. Central teams deployed to visit the affected states in Kerala, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh for monitoring and for epidemiological investigation have reached their destinations, the DAH&D said.
Bird flu scare grips Bihar
The scare of bird flu has gripped Bihar after a large number of chickens and crows were found dead in Muzaffarpur and Bettiah, respectively, on Saturday. Chickens are found at Madhaul village under Saraiya block, confirmed Sunil Kumar, animal husbandry officer in Muzaffarpur.
"As soon as the matter came to our knowledge, we sent a dedicated team to the place. All dead chickens have been buried in vacant land belonging to the state government and their samples have been sent to the lab to ascertain the cause of death," the official said.
"As a precautionary measure, we have asked every poultry firm owner to keep the chickens indoors and make adequate arrangements so that migratory birds do not mix with them," Kumar said.
Besides Muzaffarpur, over one dozen crows were found dead under mysterious circumstances at Diulia village under Narkatiaganj block in West Champaran district. A team of veterinary doctors reached the village on Friday and buried the birds. They have sent the samples to Patna for testing.
Bihar has some famous bird sanctuaries such as Kabar Jheel bird sanctuary located on the banks of Burhi Gandak river in Begusarai district, Nakti Dam bird sanctuary in Jamui district, Gogabil bird sanctuary in Bhagalpur district, Nagidam bird sanctuary in Jhajha city. These are considered as natural habitats for migratory and domestic birds in Bihar.
Delhi bans import of live birds
In the wake of the bird flu scare in the national capital, the Delhi government on Saturday banned the import of live birds into the city, while assuring the citizens that all necessary measures are being taken to tackle the disease. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal made the announcement through a digital press conference and made it clear that "there is not a single confirmed bird flu case in Delhi so far".
As a precautionary measure, the Chief Minister said the government has decided to impose a complete ban on the import of live birds into the city with immediate effect. Kejriwal also announced the closure of the Ghazipur chicken mandi for the next 10 days.
"Delhi government is taking all necessary measures to stop the spread of bird flu in the national capital. There is nothing to worry. We are keeping track of the disease," he said.
"In the last few days, there have been several cases of bird flu across various parts of the country, which is a cause of worry. Cases of bird flu have been registered in Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. No confirmed case of bird flu has been registered in Delhi until now. We have collected around 104 samples until now, which have been sent to Jalandhar for testing and examination in a laboratory. Upon receiving the results day after tomorrow, the Delhi government will take all decisions and measures based on the results," Kejriwal said.
The Chief Minister added that a 24-hour helpline 23890318 has been set up to provide assistance to the people. He said that rapid response teams have been formed in every district to contain the spread of bird flu if any, and conduct proper surveillance. They will function under the district magistrates.
The announcement came amid reports of 24 crows being found dead at a park in Jasola area in south Delhi in the past three days. A total of 10 ducks were also found dead at the famous Sanjay Lake in Mayur Vihar area in east Delhi. The samples of the dead ducks have been sent to the concerned lab to ascertain if they died from bird flu.
The forest department of the Delhi government has been informed about the death of the ducks and employees of the Delhi Development Authority, which owns a large number of parks in the city, are monitoring the situation. In the past few days, at least 35 crows have died in Delhi. Their samples have also been sent for testing.
On Friday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had instructed the officials to maintain a strict vigil on birds at the major bird sites, especially poultry markets, water bodies, zoos and other potential hotspots.
(With inputs from IANS)
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