Bird flu outbreak was confirmed in one more local body in Alappuzha on Saturday.
Officials of the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) said the presence of H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus was detected in ducks at Karamuttu (ward 1) in Karuvatta grama panchayat.
Around 8,000 ducks and other domesticated birds within a one-km radius of the hotspot will be culled in the coming days to check the spread of the disease. “The Centre is yet to notify the latest outbreak of H5N1. The bird culling operation will be launched after the Centre issues the notification. Rapid response teams will carry out culling. Carcasses will be disposed of as per the standard operating procedure,” said an official.
One farmer, who was raising several thousand ducks at Karamuttu, lost several birds in recent days. Following the mass death of ducks, the AHD sent samples of dead birds to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for analyses, which tested positive for avian influenza.
A meeting chaired by District Collector V.R. Krishna Teja to take stock of the situation on Saturday decided to tighten the disease containment and surveillance measures in the region.
In view of the fresh bout of bird flu, Collector has issued an order banning the movement, sale and use of duck, chicken, quail and other domestic birds, their eggs, meat and waste (manure) in Karuvatta, Thrikkunnapuzha, Karthikappally, Pallippad, Kumarapuram, Veeyapuram, Cheruthana, Purakkad, Thakazhi, Edathua, Thalavadi, Ambalapuzha South, Champakulam, Ramankary and Nedumudi grama panchayats and Haripad municipality till November 19.
The outbreak has so far been detected in three local bodies in Alappuzha. Avian flu was first confirmed in ducks at Vazhuthanam in Haripad municipality last month. Later the outbreak was detected in Cheruthana on November 4.
