The authorities in Kerala have confirmed an outbreak of bird flu among poultry in the Alappuzha and Kottayam districts, PTI reported on Tuesday.
State Animal Husbandry Minister J Chinchu Rani told the news agency that samples sent to a central laboratory in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal confirmed the outbreak in the two districts.
“Cases of avian flu came to our notice about a week ago,” PTI quoted Rani as saying.
Bird flu or avian influenza is a highly contagious disease caused by Influenza Type A viruses. The disease affects poultry and does not spread easily among humans. Those who come in contact with infected birds can contract the flu.
In the latest outbreak, cases have been reported from Alappuzha’s Nedumudi, Cheruthana, Karuvatta, Karthikappally, Ambalappuzha South, Punnapra South, Thakazhi and Purakkad panchayats, The Hindu reported.
While chickens were found to be infected in Nedumudi, ducks were affected in the remaining areas.
In Kottayam, the disease has been recorded in the Kuruppanthara, Manjoor, Kallupurakkal and Velur villages, the newspaper reported. Quails and chickens were found to be infected in these villages.
Rani told PTI that the State Animal Husbandry Department was currently assessing the intensity of the outbreak, adding that no restrictions had been imposed on the consumption of poultry products so far.
“However, after further analysis, if required, steps such as culling and restrictions on the consumption of poultry meat will be announced,” she added.
Poultry farmers could be affected due to the outbreak as sales usually rise during the Christmas and New Year season, she added.
Compensation is generally provided to farmers, the minister said. “However, on some occasions, there are issues related to fund allocation from the Centre, and the state has to depend on its own funds,” the news agency quoted Rani as saying.
Expert teams were working on the ground in light of the outbreak, she said.
“Our assessment is that avian flu spreads through migratory birds,” the minister said, adding that a similar outbreak had been reported in Alappuzha, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta last year too.
Also read: Avian flu isn’t ‘one mutation away’ from becoming the next pandemic – yet
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