Kottayam: A bird flu outbreak has been reported in two panchayats in Kottayam district of Kerala, prompting authorities to issue an order for culling around 8,000 ducks, hens and other domesticated birds within the one km radius of the affected areas.
District Collector P K Jayasree convened an emergency meeting with senior officials, on Tuesday, to take stock of the situation in the wake of the bird flu outbreak in Arpookara and Thalayazham panchayats of the district. The Collector while giving instructions to local bodies and the animal husbandry department, to cull the birds within the one km radius of the affected areas, said that the culling process should be undertaken under the supervision of animal husbandry department.
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Besides, officials were directed to take steps towards disinfection of the affected areas. The sale and transportation of chicken, duck, other domesticated birds, eggs, meat, manures and other related products have been banned within 10 km of bird flu affected areas for three days beginning December 13, stated a release issued by District Public Relations Department here.
"Suppose any unusual death of chicken, duck, or other domestic birds was noticed in 19 local bodies within a radius of 10 km from the epicenter of the disease, then it must be reported to the nearest veterinary hospital," the Collecto said. " Some of the officials said, migratory and sea birds are the carriers of the H5N1 strain found in the district.
Meanwhile, the samples were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases Lab in Bhopal for testing after birds died at a duck farm in Arpookara and a broiler chicken farm in Thalayazham. Bird flu was confirmed on Wednesday, officials said. Rapid response teams have been constituted by the animal husbandry department to cull birds in the affected panchayats.
