January 6, 2021 Bird flu alert from Himachal to Kerala, how bad is the situation? Cases of bird flu have been reported from Himachal Pradesh to Kerala. Several states have issued bird flu alert. The Centre has warned the states over possibility of the disease spreading to humans.

The Centre has issued a bird flu alert to states after cases of H5N1 avian influenza were reported from several places across the country. The central government has asked the states to take all possible steps to contain the spread of bird flu “on an urgent basis”. It has warned that there is a possibility of bird flu spreading to humans and domesticated animals.

Kerala has already declared bird flu as a state disaster and rapid response teams in the state have started culling chickens and ducks. Himachal Pradesh, where the first serious alert came from, too has imposed several restrictions on movement of poultry products in the state.

Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan have also reported cases of bird flu. These states have taken certain steps in the wake of outbreak of bird flu. The birds affected by avian influenza show symptoms such as tremors, diarrhoea, head tilt and paralysis.

Here is a look at how bad the situation is in different states.

Himachal Pradesh
More than 2,300 migratory birds have died in Himachal Pradesh due to bird flu outbreak. Most of the birds to have died of H5N1 avian influenza are bar-headed geese in the Pong Dam reservoir area in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.

Spread of avian influenza has been confirmed here by the forest officials. Samples were tested by the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases confirming that H5N1 avian influenza was behind these deaths. It is a virus that has a known history of transmission between the poultry and wild birds.

The Kangra district officials have imposed a complete ban on the sale, purchase and export of any poultry products including eggs, birds and meat, and fish of any breed or age in or from the affected areas.

Kerala
Kerala, where bird flu has been declared a state disaster, has reported cases of avian influenza from Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Kerala Minister for Forests, Wildlife and Animal Husbandry K Raju said around 12,000 ducks died due to spread of bird flu in the state. Raju said around 36,000 birds would be culled to avoid further spread of bird flu in Kerala. Trade of poultry meat and eggs has been banned in the affected districts in Kerala.

Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh has issued a bird flu alert following the deaths of a number of crows. Here, the bird flu outbreak has taken place due to the spread of H5N8 avian influenza virus. It has killed more than 375 crows in the districts of Indore, Mandsaur, Agar-Malwa, Khargone and Sehore.

Samples tested at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) revealed the presence of the H5N8 in Indore and Mandsaur districts.

A control room has been set up in Indore and all districts of Madhya Pradesh have been asked to report any suspicious case of bird flu to the authorities. The health department has been directed to provide PPE kits, anti-retroviral drugs and disinfectants to those engaged in monitoring of birds, culling of suspected population and disposal of the carcasses.

Rajasthan
More than 500 birds have lost their lives in Rajasthan due to bird flu. Most of the victim birds have been crows. The authorities have said the first case of bird flu in Rajasthan surfaced on December 25 in the Jhalawar district.

Now, bird flu has spread also to Kota, Baran, Bikaner, Dausa and Jodhpur districts. Samples sent to Bhopal-based NIHSAD have confirmed the spread of avian influenza caused by H5N1 strain of the virus in Rajasthan.

Haryana
Haryana has reported the death of around 4 lakh birds in the past 10 days in Panchkula district following the authorities have issued an advisory on poultry products. Barwala-based poultry farms in the Hisar district of Haryana reported deaths of around 1.5 lakh birds in the past one week.

Samples have been sent for testing at the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) in Jalandhar. Report is awaited for confirmation of bird flu. A team from RDDL visited Barwala for re-sampling of the birds.

Gujarat
More than 50 birds were found dead in the Junagarh district of Gujarat on January 3 setting off an alarm in the wake of bird flu scare in neighbouring states of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The forest officials sent the carcasses for examination.

The state governments of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka have also issued alert to districts asking the officials of the health and animal husbandry departments to monitor the situation and report any suspicious case of bird flu. Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory have also stepped up monitoring of birds. Experts have collected samples from wetlands in the Jammu for bird flu testing.