Avian u detected at three more places in Alappuzha
Avian u has been con
rmed at three more places in Alappuzha.
Ocials said here on Saturday that the presence of the H5N1 subtype of the Inuenza A virus was detected in ducks at Koyilmuck South (Ward 10) in Edathua grama panchayat and Thennady (Ward 4) in Thakazhi panchayat and chickens at a poultry farm at Neerkunnam East (Ward 7) in Ambalappuzha North panchayat.
A farmer raising 19,000 ducks at Koyilmuck South has lost some birds in the past week. Another duck farmer at Thennady with a ock size of 10,523 ducklings has also lost birds during the period. At Neerkunnam East, around 150 chickens of the total 650 at the poultry farm have perished.
Following the mass bird deaths, the Animal Husbandry department sent samples to the National Institute of High Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for analyses and these tested positive for avian inuenza on Thursday. Meanwhile, samples of dead ducks sent from Muttar tested negative for the disease, said an ocial.
Alappuzha District Animal Husbandry ocer Sajeev Kumar K.R. said that as part of containment measures, culling of birds, including the rest of the birds in the disease-aected duck/chicken ocks and domesticated birds, within the 1-km radius of the three hotspots would be carried out on April 30. Mr. Kumar, citing the preliminary assessment, said that 45,631 birds, mostly ducks, would have to be culled.
They include 33,974 birds, mostly ducks raised by around half a dozen farmers, at Wards 8, 9 and 10 in Edathua and Wards 1 and 2 in Veeyapuram. Another 10,867 birds will be culled at Wards 3 and 4 in Thakazhi and 790 birds in Wards 5, 6 and 7 in Amabalappuzha North.
Bird u (H5N1) has so far been reported at ve places in the district. After the disease was con rmed in the ducks of three farmers — one in Edathua panchayat (Ward 1) and two in Cheruthana panchayat (Ward 3), rapid response teams of the AHD culled 17,480 birds, mostly ducks, within a one-km radius of the hotspots on April 19.
Though rare, the avian inuenza virus could be transmitted to humans. The Health department has tightened preventive measures and urged people to maintain caution. Surveillance has been strengthened within a 10km radius of the hotspots.
Culling of birds within 1-km radius of the three hotspots will be carried out on April 30