Gujarat recorded its first confirmed circumstances of chook flu as samples of some of the 55 birds that had been discovered useless at Kharo dam in Junagadh district earlier this month examined optimistic for the an infection, authorities officers stated Saturday.
While there was no report of an infection in poultry birds, to date, surveillance has been intensified throughout the state, officers stated. Carcasses of 5 egrets and 4 crows had been additionally recovered from Junagadh metropolis and Lohej village in Junagadh district, respectively, they added.
This is the primary reported outbreak of the avian flu in Gujarat since 2017 when the illness was confirmed in some components of Ahmedabad.
On January 2, state animal husbandry and forest departments had discovered not less than 53 birds — 46 Red-wattled lapwings, three ruffs, three northern shovelers, and one comb duck — useless on the shore of Kharo dam at Bantva village in Manavadar taluka. Ruffs and northern shovelers are migratory species. A day later, carcasses of two extra Red-wattled lapwings had been discovered and samples of those birds had been despatched to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, for checks.
“Some samples of Red-wattled lapwings have been found positive for avian flu and our officers have undertaken an exercise to sanitise the Kharo dam coast,” Kunvarji Bavaliya, state Minister of Animal Husbandry instructed The Indian Express. “The birds in which the infection has been confirmed are all scheduled birds. There has been no report of this infection in poultry birds, so far. Nonetheless, we have instructed our officers in districts to intensify vigilance activities,” he added.
Seventeen samples of the birds, which had been discovered useless at Kharo dam, had been despatched to NISHAD, Dr Falguni Thakar, the director of state animal husbandry (AH) division, stated. “The confirmation report reached Delhi and my office yesterday,” she stated.
Besides Junagadh, Dr Thakar stated, mass mortality of scheduled birds, particularly crows, have been reported from Vadodara, Valsad, Vyara in Tapi district and Motera close to Ahmedabad. “Samples of these birds have also been sent to the Bhopal institute for tests and results are awaited. But the good part is that the birds which have died so far are crows as chances of the infection spreading from crows to other birds are minimal. Poultry birds seem to be unaffected so far but we have asked our officers to survey poultry birds, take their samples and keep testing,” she stated.
The AH division officers in Junagadh had additionally despatched carcasses of the 2 Red-wattled lapwings that had been discovered useless on January 3 to NIHSAD. “One of those two lapwing carcasses have also tested positive for bird flu,” Dr SN Vaghasiya, the deputy director of AH division in Junagadh, stated.
He added no additional chook deaths have been reported at Kharo dam since January 4. “However, four crows died at Lohej village in Mangrol taluka and five storks were also found dead at the Gujarat Pollution Control Board office near Sitakhana Chowk in Junagadh city. We have sent samples of these birds to Bhopal for testing,” Dr Vaghasiya added.
The deputy director added there’s a colony of egrets on bushes close to the GPCB workplace. In Lohej village, too, the birds had been roosting on a banyan tree.
Dr Ashok Kumbhani, a veterinary officer of Mangrol taluka, stated there are a few banyan bushes close to Vadvala resort at Lohej village and the resort proprietor had contacted forest officers after discovering three crows useless. “A forest team later found three carcasses and seven other crows that seemed affected and brought them to us. One of the seven crows later died. We have handed the remaining six crows back to forest department after providing them treatment. We have also sanitised the place where they were found dead. There is no poultry farm in a one-km radius of the spot and, therefore, there is no fear of the infection spreading to poultry birds as of now,” he stated.
On Saturday, Dushyant Vasavada, the chief conservator of forests of Junagadh wildlife circle that covers Junagadh, Gir Somnath, Porbandar, Amreli and Bhavnagar districts, stated no mass mortality was reported from the wetlands within the protected areas. However, zoos throughout the state have shut their aviaries indefinitely from Saturday, following an order issued by the director of state AH division.
“We have issued the order as a precautionary measure to prevent the bird flu jumping to humans. In India, there haven’t been reports of the bird flu jumping to humans but such cases have been reported from Hong Kong. So far, Kerala and Haryana are the only two states in India where bird flu cases have been detected in poultry birds,” Dr Thakar stated.
The Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) on Friday stated the aviary at Rajkot Zoological Park will stay closed to guests from Saturday onwards however different sections of the park will stay open.
As a precautionary measure, Shyamal Tikadar, the principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and chief wildlife warden of Gujarat, had issued an order to maintain chook sanctuaries of Nal Sarovar and Thol in Ahmedabad, Khijaydiya in Jamnagar, and Porbandar in Porbandar district, Wild Ass Sanctuary in Surendranagar, Vadhvana wetland in Vadodara district, and Chhari Dhand Conservation Reserve in Kutch closed to vacationers till additional order however later withdrew it. “We had issued the orders to keep these sanctuaries closed as a precautionary measure in view of the bird flu outbreak. However, we have withdrawn this order after instructions from the government. The government is of the view that panic should not be created. Therefore, these sanctuaries are open to visitors,” he stated.
