Bird flu cases found in 10 states: Centre
NEW DELHI: As many as 10 states have so far reported confirmed cases of bird flu in the country, Union ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying informed on Monday.
Delhi, Uttarakhand and Maharashtra are the latest places to report the cases of avian influenza, according to an official statement. Crows and ducks were reported dead in New Delhi and Sanjay lake areas respectively. So far, the disease has been confirmed in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. Delhi on Monday confirmed bird flu cases after eight samples sent to a Bhopal-based laboratory tested positive for avian influenza.
All eight samples -- four from a park in Mayur Vihar Phase 3, three from Sanjay Lake and one from Dwarka -- have been found positive for avian influenza, Dr Rakesh Singh from the animal husbandry unit of the Development Department said. The report of the test results arrived on Monday morning, he said.
A drive to cull ducks has begun at the famous Sanjay Lake, where several ducks were found dead in the last few days, Singh added. Seventeen more ducks were found dead at Sanjay Lake on Sunday, prompting authorities to declare it an “alert zone”, DDA officials had said.
Besides, the officials said, 91 crows have been found dead in 14 DDA parks in the last couple of days. A few days ago, around 50 crows were found dead in Central Park, Mayur Vihar Phase 3, officials had said.
Some samples were also sent to a lab in Jalandhar. Their results are awaited, Singh said.
Three other recreational parks in Delhi -- Hauz Khas Park, Dwarka Sector 9 Park, Hastsal Park -- were closed on Saturday. Barring Hastsal Park and Sanjay Lake, other parks were reopened after disinfection on Sunday, the officials said. The poultry market in Ghazipur has also been shut down temporarily. Avian influenza has been confirmed as the cause of death of different birds in Parbhani, Mumbai, Thane, Beed and Dapoli in Maharashtra, as per test reports of a Bhopalbased lab, a senior state government official said on Monday.
However, it is “absolutely safe” to consume eggs or chicken as the virus cannot withstand cooking temperatures, and people need not worry as infection to humans due to bird flu is “rarest of rare”, state animal husbandry department secretary Anoop Kumar told PTI.
Kumar said the animal husbandry department has already started implementing its action plan and the culling of birds will begin from Tuesday. He said 8,000 to 10,000 birds within one-km radius of the infected zone in Parbhani may be culled.
UTTARAKHAND DELHI AND MAHARASHTRA ARE THE LATEST PLACES TO REPORT THE CASES OF AVIAN INFLUENZA