836 more birds die of flu, toll touches 5,987 in Maha

In all 14,535 poultr y birds have been culled in the state for the eradication of Avian Influenza

The bird flu has claimed 836 more birds till 7 pm on January 16, taking the total toll to 5,987 since January 8. In all 14,535 poultry birds comprising 3,443 birds at Murumba in Parbhani district, 11,064 at Kendrewadi in Ahmadpur tehsil and 28 at Sukni in Udgir tehsil were culled since the state government has conferred powers under Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animal Act, 2009 to all the district collectors within their local jurisdiction for the prevention, control and eradication of Avian Influenza.

These deaths were reported in 22 of the total 36 districts in the state.

Of the 836 deaths, 745 were of poultry birds in Thane (17), Raigad (37), Satara (19), Pune (4), Ahmednagar (24), Solapur (20), Nashik (9), Aurangabad (26), Beed (50), Parbhani (35), Osmanabad 928), Hingoli (24), Amravati (75), Yavatmal (37), Nagpur (290) and Gondia (50). The remaining 91 were egrets, parrots, sparrows.

According to the department of animal husbandry, the samples are being sent for testing to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal and Disease Investigation Section, Pune.

The areas in Parbhani, Latur, Solapur, Pune, Beed, Ahmednagar and Raigad districts where bird flu was detected in hens have been declared as “infected zone”.

Thereafter, the birds were culled within the radius of 1 km. However, the samples of poultry birds from Amravati and Akola were negative.

The process of declaration of “Alert Zone’’ in the area of mortality in poultry birds, suspected to be dead of bird flu and ensuring necessary precautions and preventive measures are undertaken under these conferred powers by local administration.

The department has urged the poultry farm owners and general public to immediately intimate mortality in the crows, parrots, herons or in migratory birds in any village or of any unusual death of poultry birds in commercial farms and backyard poultry to the nearest veterinary dispensary. The intimation should also, be given on Toll-free number 18002330418.