ANGUL: Following detection of bird flu virus, Angul district authorities have started culling of chicken within 1 km radius of the affected zone in the town on Tuesday.
According to district official source, a five-member team started the culling process and are destroying the remnants of the affected chickens at shops and houses to check the spread of the disease. Compensation will be paid to those persons whose chickens are culled during the drive, the source said.
Around 1,500 chickens died in the government poultry here from January 30 to February 11. The district authorities sent the samples to a Phulnakhara-based laboratory which stated that the deaths occurred due to other reasons and started treatment on the farm.
As the chickens continued to perish, the authorities sent the samples of suspected avian flu to National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, which confirmed the presence of an H5N1 virus on Monday. This prompted the district administration to take steps to eradicate the strain.
According to DIPRO S C Sethi, a meeting was held on Tuesday in the presence of Collector Anil Kumar Samal. Officials of Health and Veterinary departments attended the meeting. Sethi said an area of 10 km has been identified as ‘alert zone’ where tests on chicken will be conducted and precautionary measures are taken to check the spread of the disease.
“The people of the district have been asked to stop consuming chicken and eggs for a period of three months. A strict vigil is being maintained across the district to identify and kill the chickens affected by the virus,” he added.