Bird flu: 1,800 migratory birds discovered lifeless in Himachal, outbreak reported in 4 states now

Himachal Pradesh on Monday turned the fourth state to report instances of chook flu after Rajasthan, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh, with officers confirming that migratory birds discovered lifeless at Pong Dam Lake in Kangra district have examined optimistic for the dreaded avian influenza.

In Rajasthan, deaths of greater than 170 new birds had been reported from some districts on Monday, taking the overall fatalities in latest days to over 425. “Bird flu has been confirmed only in Jhalawar (district). Report of other deaths is yet to come,” in keeping with the state animal husbandry division.

As some elements of Kerala too reported the influenza outbreak, authorities have ordered culling of geese, hens and different home birds inside one km radius of the affected areas in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Officials mentioned some 40,000 birds should be culled to verify the unfold of the H5N8 virus.

READ MORE: Bird flu alert in Rajasthan after crow deaths in a number of districts, Centre points alert to states

A farm in Kerala’s Kottayam has lately seen deaths of round 1,500 geese attributable to chook flu lately.

Bird flu is a extremely infectious and extreme respiratory illness in birds brought on by the H5N1 influenza virus, which might sometimes infect people as properly.

1,800 migratory birds discovered lifeless in Himachal 

In Himachal Pradesh, round 1,800 migratory birds, most of them bar-headed geese, have been discovered lifeless within the Pong Dam Lake sanctuary.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) Archana Sharma mentioned the laboratory on the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly detected avian influenza within the samples of lifeless birds, whereas citing the knowledge conveyed by the Centre.

At the identical time, she mentioned that her division was awaiting affirmation by the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, because it was the nodal physique for testing this illness.

Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar has additionally suspected avian influenza within the chook samples, she added.

Kangra District Magistrate Rakesh Prajapati has prohibited slaughtering, sale, buy and export of any poultry, birds, fish of any breed and their associated merchandise, together with eggs, meat, hen, and so on, in Fatehpur, Dehra, Jawali and Indora subdivisions of the district.

Exercising his powers below Sections 34 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005, the official mentioned that outlets promoting these merchandise would additionally stay closed in these 4 subdivisions. Prajapati additionally banned the motion of locals and vacationers inside a kilometre radius of Pong Dam.

In Himachal’s Pong Dam Lake wildlife sanctuary, wildlife workers first reported the sudden loss of life of 4 bar-headed geese and one widespread teal within the Fatehpur space final Monday.

The subsequent day, over 4 hundred migratory waterfowl had been discovered lifeless in Majhar, Bathari, Sihal, Jagnoli, Chatta, Dhameta and Kuthera areas within the wildlife ranges of Dhameta and Nagrota. Subsequently, a whole lot of extra birds had been discovered lifeless every day, totalling 1,773 until Sunday, she mentioned.

She mentioned that greater than 90 per cent of the lifeless birds had been bar-headed geese, the most typical migratory species on the lake who arrive right here from Central Asia, Russia, Mongolia and different areas in winters after crossing the Himalayan ranges. There are eight-nine different chook species whose members have been discovered lifeless.

READ MORE: Bird flu virus detected in lifeless crows in Indore

Last yr, a couple of lakh migratory birds had camped on the lake by late January and this yr, over 50,000 have arrived up to now.

The lifeless birds are being disposed off as per bird-flu protocol, officers mentioned, including that no such deaths have been reported so removed from different water our bodies within the state.

Wildlife, veterinary and animal husbandry workers throughout the state have been placed on alert and requested to instantly report the loss of life of any chook or animal. The Gopalpur zoo in Kangra which is located close to the Pong Lake has been placed on excessive alert.

Recently, a chook flu alert has been sounded in Rajasthan after crows had been discovered lifeless in half a dozen districts. Bird flu instances had been additionally confirmed in lifeless crows in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

Bird flu virus was detected in round 50 crows whose carcasses had been present in Indore in Madhya Pradesh final week, prompting authorities to subject an alert.

In Rajasthan, 80 chook deaths had been reported in Bikaner on Sunday, 42 in Sawai Madhopur, 12 in Kota, 12 in Baran, eight every in Pali and Jaipur, six in Dausa, 5 in Jodhpur and two in Jhalawar, in keeping with the state animal husbandry division. The deaths have been reported in 15 districts of the state.

Kerala, which noticed the final main case of chook flu in 2016, has sounded excessive alert within the affected districts contemplating the potential of the virus to contaminate people, though officers mentioned that the scenario was below management.

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