Bird Flu Outbreak Reported in Kerala

Thiruvananthapuram: A bird flu outbreak has been reported in two places in Kerala’s Alappuzhathis district.

Officials confirmed on Thursday that bird flu (H5N1) infection was found in ducks reared in an area of ward 1 of Edathva Grama Panchayat and another area in ward 3 of Cheruthana Grama Panchayat of the district.

Prevalence of the disease was confirmed following the test of the samples of the ducks showing symptoms of bird flu at a lab in Bhopal.

A district administration official confirmed that samples tested positive for avian influenza (H5N1).

As an immediate measure as per the action plan of the Government of India, a meeting chaired by the District Collector decided to initiate the process of killing and destroying (culling) domestic birds within a radius of one kilometer from the epicenter of the disease.

A Rapid Action Force will be formed by the Animal Welfare Department for the culling process. The local district administration said there is no need to panic as there is no possibility of the disease getting transmitted to humans.