Bird Flu Reported as Cause of Death Across Birds, other Animals Across Four States
The new threat of bird flu has been reportedly been sighted as the reason for the death of hundreds of birds across the states of Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Rajasthan. Caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, bird flu is a highly infectious disease in birds, which can spread to human beings and turn fatal. Around 2,300 migratory birds reportedly died in the Pong Dam reservoir area in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh.
After the confirmation of bird flu in Jhalawar district of Rajasthan, it is being reported to spread to five more districts. Over 250 crows were found dead in the State. Whereas in Kerala, bird flu has been reported from some parts of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Around 1,700 ducks, reportedly, died in a duck farm in Neendoor panchayat in Kottayam district. This is the third outbreak of bird flu in Alappuzha over the past seven years. An H5N8 outbreak was reported in Kuttanad in Alappuzha, in 2016. Around 1,500 ducks died due to bird flu recently. In Indore, city of Madhya Pradesh, 13 more crows have reportedly died. Now, after Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, it is being reported that more than 2000 birds have died in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
“Bird flu has been confirmed only in Jhalawar (district). Report of other deaths is yet to come,” according to a statement issued by the state animal husbandry department of Rajasthan. The authorities in Rajasthan have launched a drive to identify the flu. Last year hundreds of migratory birds were found dead around Sambhar Salt Lake, Rajasthan. Whereas in Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh, the export of poultry products has been stopped. The bar-headed goose and the other species were found dead. Authorities in the state of Kerala have ordered the culling of ducks, hens, and other domestic birds within a one km radius of the affected areas in the Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. The central government has also issued an alert to the states.
