India

Bird flu confirmed in 10 states of India so far, officials say

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New Delhi: Government of India has said that bird flu has been confirmed in 10 states so far and stressed on increased surveillance around water bodies, live bird markets, zoos and poultry farms.

In a statement, the department of animal husbandry and dairying said: “Till January 11, 2021, Avian Influenza has been confirmed in 10 states of the country,” The outbreak was confirmed in seven states — Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh — as on January 10.”

On Monday, bird flu has also been confirmed in Delhi, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra.  States have been asked to build awareness among the public and avoid the spread of misinformation.

“States/ UTs have been requested to increase surveillance around water bodies, live bird markets, zoos, poultry farms, etc. along with proper disposal of carcass, and strengthening of biosecurity in poultry farms,” it said.

The GoI has also directed states to maintain adequate stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.

Further, the death of crows was confirmed in Kotdwar and Dehradun districts of Uttarakhand. In Delhi, crows and ducks, respectively, were reported dead in New Delhi and Sanjay lake areas.

The outbreak of Avian Influenza has been among poultry in Parbhani district, while AI is confirmed from Mumbai, Thane, Dapoli, Beed in crows in Maharashtra, news agency PTI reported.

In Haryana, culling of infected birds is underway to control and containment of the spread of the disease. A central team has visited Himachal Pradesh and will reach Panchkula on Monday for carrying out monitoring of the epicentre sites and conducting an epidemiological investigation, the statement said.

Meanwhile, following the mysterious deaths of various bird species in Jammu and Kashmir, a squad of experts from the Institute of Animal Health and Biological Products (IAH&BP), Zakura of Animal Husbandry Department, Kashmir in coordination with the Wildlife Protection Department, Kashmir on Monday visited Hokersar wetland to set in motion a sustained surveillance and Monitoring for Bird Flu (Avian Influenza).

The team from IAH&BP, Zakura headed by Dr Gowhar Nabi Gora (Technical Officer/Nodal Officer OIE) collected 21 samples in accordance with the laid down guidelines and SOPs for Avian Influenza to be forwarded to High-Security Animal Disease Lab, Bhopal and RDDL Jalandhar for further testing.

The wildlife Veterinarian, accompanying the team informed that no deaths in birds were reported from the Hokersar wetland, the largest and most prominent of wetlands in Kashmir.

 

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