Bird flu outbreak in Kerala: 50,000 birds to be culled in two districts

Culling of almost 50,000 birds is in progress in two districts of Kerala after the affirmation of avian flu within the state. There’s no trigger for alarm and the scenario is predicted to be introduced underneath management in three days, a prime official mentioned.
Dr KM Dileep, director of the state’s animal husbandry division, mentioned the H5N8 subtype of the Influenza A virus was confirmed in 5 out of the eight samples despatched for testing to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases lab in Bhopal. The flu was reported amongst geese in 4 panchayats in Alappuzha district – Thalavadi, Thakazhy, Pallipad and Karuvatta — and one panchayat in Kottayam district – Neendoor. Poultry farmers had known as animal husbandry officers after geese started to die on a big scale in farms in these areas within the final week of December.
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“Rapid response teams have started functioning in five epicentres of the outbreak. Culling of birds within a one-km radius of the farms have begun and we intend to complete the process within three days. Sanitisation of the area will follow. I have just returned from Alappuzha and so far, the flu has not spread to other farms from the ones where it was confirmed. If we can complete the culling process fast, we can quickly contain it,” mentioned Dr Dileep.
“After the culling ends, officials of the health and animal husbandry departments will carry out a combined surveillance of a 10-km radius of the affected areas to study any variations. We will check for suspicious deaths of any kind of birds in that period and send samples for examination if required.”
On the potential of bird-to-human transmission of the virus, he mentioned, “So far, we don’t have any reports of such transmission and there’s no need for alarm.”
The supply of an infection is probably migratory birds who’ve flown to the state in giant numbers within the final two months, he mentioned.
The avian flu outbreak has been categorized as a ‘state disaster’ after the Centre notified the outbreak of H5N8 subset of Influenza A within the two districts. This will assist farmers get enough compensation for the geese that died of the virus within the preliminary section in addition to for these which is able to get culled within the course of. State officers are taking a rely of the variety of geese to be culled with a purpose to put together the info for compensation to farmers.
Since the state is already within the throes of the Covid-19 outbreak, officers finishing up the cullying course of will put on PPE kits, masks and security gloves. The birds are prone to be incinerated and the stays buried in deep pits to stop any danger of transmission.