New Delhi: Urging people to not pay heed to rumours about bird flu, Union Animal Husbandry and Dairying Minister Giriraj Singh on Monday said there is no risk to humans if the animal or poultry products are cooked properly before consuming. The remarks of the BJP leader came after Arvind Kejriwal announced the closure of the Ghazipur wholesale poultry market for 10 days and banned the import of live birds in the national capital as a preventive measure to stop the potential spread of avian influenza.
"There is a situation of panic in the country. It is important to not spread rumours about the bird flu. The cases of bird flu have been frequently reported in India since 2006. There's no risk to humans if animal products are cooked properly before eating," Singh said.
Speaking on bird flu cases confirmed in the national capital, the Union Minister said he will be writing to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the closure of the Ghazipur poultry market for 10 days.
Singh took heavily on Kejriwal government for shutting down the Ghazipur poultry market and said that farmers who opt for poultry sale will now be affected with the state government's decision.
"I am writing a letter to Arvind Kejriwal, urging him not to take any step that can trigger panic. Bird flu was also reported in 2006 and there were no reports of humans being affected due to avian virus," Begusarai MP said.
READ: Don't panic of bird flu, cook eggs and meat fully: Giriraj Singh
"Delhi Chief Minister has closed the Ghazipur poultry market for 10 days. I have said this before and will say it again. All poultry products can be consumed after cooking property and they pose no harm to people. He (Kejriwal) should not close the market and take precautionary measures like other states," Singh said.Giriraj Singh today attributed the spread of avian flu on migratory birds, adding that the Ministry had issued advisory for all states on Oct 22, 2019. He said that Had the advice been paid heed to, there would've been no need to close Ghazipur Mandi.
Cases of bird flu have been confirmed by Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Delhi in the country.
Testing of eight samples sent to a Bhopal-based laboratory has confirmed bird flu in Delhi, officials said on Monday
The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying on Sunday said that the central teams are formed for monitoring the spread of bird flu are visiting the affected sites.
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With agency inputs
