Bird Flu: States cautioned to look for unusual bird mortality

The States have also been advised to closely coordinate with the forest department officials to check whether birds are falling dead unusually. In case of any such instances, preventive measures to check spread of the virus

Hyderabad: The spread of Avian Influenza viruses in at least four states, has prompted the Union government to alert all the States to look out for instances of unusual mortality of birds, as a precautionary measure.

The States have also been advised to closely coordinate with the forest department officials to check whether birds are falling dead unusually. In case of any such instances, preventive measures to check spread of the virus from affected birds to poultry and humans should be initiated, the advisory issued by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said on Wednesday.

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The Avian Influenza (AI) outbreak has been reported in:

– Rajasthan (crow) – Baran, Kota, Jhalawar
– Madhya Pradesh (crow) – Mandsaur, Indore, Malwa
– Himachal Pradesh (migratory birds) – Kangra
– Kerala (poultry-duck) – Kottayam, Allapuzha (4 epicentres)

Following the detection of cases, an advisory was issued to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh on January 1 and an action plan as stipulated under the the National Action Plan of Avian Influenza was taken up. Subsequently, another advisory was issued on January 5 to Himachal Pradesh. Kerala has already initiated control and containment operations from January 5 at epicentres and culling process is in operation.

The Ministry explained that the AI viruses have been circulating worldwide for centuries with four known major outbreaks recorded in the last century. India notified the first outbreak of avian influenza in 2006. Infection in humans is not yet reported in India though the disease is zoonotic. There is no direct evidence that AI viruses can be transmitted to humans via the consumption of contaminated poultry products. Implementing management practices that incorporate bio security principles, personal hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection protocols, as well as cooking and processing standards, are effective means of controlling the spread of the AI viruses.

In India, the disease is found to be spreading mainly by migratory birds coming into India during winter months i.e. from September – October to February – March. The secondary spread by human handling cannot be ruled out.

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