Over 3,000 poultry birds die of Ranikhet virus in Balod of Chhattisgarh

Thousands of poultry birds died of the contagious Ranikhet virus in the Tiwari Poultry Farm of Dalli Rajhara Municipality. The samples were sent to Pune for molecular reports.

Balod (Chhattisgarh): Nearly 3,700 poultry birds died of the Ranikhet virus in the Tiwari Poultry Farm of Dalli Rajhara Municipality of Balod district in Chhattisgarh. The Deputy Director of Veterinary Services confirmed this disease in the birds. Dr DK Sihare, Deputy Director of Veterinary Services, confirming the virus said, "Ranikhet disease has been confirmed in birds. The samples of the dead birds have been sent to Pune to examine and study whether the virus is transferable or not."

Dr Sihare said, "This disease affects domestic birds such as chickens and many wild bird species. Birds become very weak within two to three days. The death rate is also high and that is the reason why so many birds were found dead. This disease spreads quickly and can cause a huge loss to poultry owners. Timely action must be taken to stop the spread of the virus and proper treatment should also be provided to the avians or else this virus will spread like an epidemic."

Ranikhet is also known as New Castle disease or Doyle's disease. It is an acute and highly contagious disease. It affects the respiratory and neurological systems of the birds. The clinical symptoms of the disease depend on the immune system and the age of the bird. The symptoms of this disease include falling feathers, loss of appetite and complete paralysis, Dr Sihare added.

The Animal Husbandry Department issued an advisory to keep the chickens showing symptoms separately. A divisional-level rapid response team will work at the poultry farm where this incident took place. The samples of the deceased chickens have been sent to Pune for molecular reports.