The centre has issued alerts about the H5N1 virus or bird flu in nine states, including Jharkhand and Jharkhand and Punjab, reporting outbreaks since January.
In a consultation released on March 7, the central government’s dairy and livestock sector asked all state and United Territory (UT) governments to increase surveillance in high-risk areas such as poultry farms and bird markets.
The Center ensures the necessary technical support and urges all states to implement the measures outlined in the National Action Plan of Avian Influenza.
“Surveillance must be carried out in high-risk areas, including on-site bird markets, migratory bird habitats and dense poultry areas. States are required to strictly adhere to the national action plan for Avian Influenza (Revised 2021), activate rapid response teams, and strengthen veterinary and laboratory capacities,” consulting state and UT administration. ”
There are several cases of bird flu nationwide, with 5,500 birds occupied last week in Ranchi to stop the spread. Jharkhand also witnessed an outbreak in the Ranchi area where the flu killed about 250 birds, confirmed by the ICAR-intertional Institute for High Safety Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal. The outbreak originated from government poultry farms.
In its directive, the Centre confirmed the spread within government-owned poultry institutions. The Centre expressed concern about biosafety concerns: “Infections at government farms indicate potential weaknesses in containment measures and urgent corrective measures are required… All government poultry farms must be reviewed biosafety early and the gap must be resolved immediately.”
Another outbreak in Telangana reportedly reported that the deaths of 3,500 rural chickens affected the livelihoods of several farmers. Last month, Telangana banned imports of poultry from the neighboring Andhra, and an outbreak occurred in the East Godavari area.
