Centre says 'effectively controlling' spread of bird flu; 11 states affected so far in all

The Central government on Friday said bird flu or avian influenza outbreak has been confirmed in Chhattisgarh, taking the total number of affected states and UTs to 11 so far. Noting that the country is effectively controlling the spread of bird flu, the Centre instructed the state government to allow the selling of poultry and poultry products sourced from avian influenza-free areas/states.

11 states affected by bird flu

"The country has been effectively controlling the disease. It was reiterated that the virus gets destroyed easily at 70 degrees Centigrade and therefore, properly cooked poultry and poultry products are safe for human consumption," the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying (FAHD) said in a release.

"As of 15 January 2021, Avian Influenza has been confirmed in wild birds in Burhanpur, Rajgarh, Dindori, Chhindwara, Mandla, Harda, Dhar, Sagar, and Satna districts of Madhya Pradesh (crows and pigeons); Dehradun district of Uttarakhand (crows and kite); Rohini in Delhi (crows) and Jaipur Zoo in Rajasthan (ducks and black stork)," the ministry said.

Cases of Avian Influenza in poultry have been confirmed from Anand/Bhagirath Kalosiya in Harda district of Madhya Pradesh and GS Poultry farm Balod district of Chhattisgarh. Altogether, 11 states in the country have been affected by bird flu. Steps to make the general public aware of the disease are being undertaken. Also, efforts to remove misinformation about avian influenza among the people is underway, the release said.

The Secretary in Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying held a virtual meeting with states' chief secretaries and said bird flu is not new to the country but has been reported every year since 2006.

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States undertake public awareness campaign

The state governments are now undertaking awareness campaigns through newspaper advertisements, social media platforms, in a bid to inform the general public, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying informed on Thursday. The central teams formed for monitoring the situation in the affected areas of the country are visiting the affected sites and conducting epistemological studies.

The Department requested the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation to allow uninterrupted transportation of samples for expeditious testing of Avian Influenza in designated laboratories. In the light of the findings that many states were banning the supply of poultry and poultry products from other states, it was suggested to review such policy as this would add to the negative impact on the poultry industry, the Ministry said.

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(With ANI inputs)