Bird Flu outbreak : Delhi bans import of live birds, shuts Ghazipur poultry market

Amidst the Bird Flu outbreak in several states across the country, Delhi has banned import of live birds and the Ghazipur poultry market has been closed for 10 days. In view of the spread of bird flu in several states across the country, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced a ban on the import of live birds in the national capital and said that the Ghazipur poultry market will remain closed. "The import of live birds is being banned in Delhi. The Ghazipur poultry market will remain closed for 10 days," announced Delhi Chief Minister. 

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Import of live birds banned in Delhi

“We have been receiving a lot of reports in Delhi about deaths of birds, especially crows, and it is concerning. There are several bird flu cases that were recorded in Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala. No such confirmed case has been found in Delhi as of now, but we have collected 104 samples and have sent it to Jalandhar lab for testing. By Monday, we are expecting to recieve the results, and based on the outcome, the Delhi Government will take further actions," said CM Kejriwal.

"The import of live birds is being banned in Delhi. The Ghazipur poultry market will remain closed for 10 days," he added. 

READ | Bird Flu Outbreak In India: Control Room Set Up In Delhi; Mass Bird Deaths In Many States

On January 5, Union Health Ministry deployed multi-disciplinary teams to the affected districts to review the situation of Avian Influenza. Two teams comprising of experts from the National Center for Disease Control, National Institute of Virology, PGIMER and RML Hospital and the Lady Hardinge Medical College have been deployed to Kerala and Haryana.

READ | Delhi: 24 Crows Found Dead In Jasola Park, 10 Ducks Die At Sanjay Lake

The flu was first witnessed in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district where nearly 50 crows within a kilometre dropped dead. The flu had forced authorities to impose Section 144 in the area while a Rapid Response Team was also deployed. Similar cases were reported in Jaipur and Jodhpur as well. After Rajasthan, authorities in Madhya Pradesh were alerted as carcasses of nearly 50 crows were found in Indore.

READ | Bird Flu Outbreak: Health Ministry Rushes Multi-disciplinary Teams To Kerala & Haryana