ROURKELA:After reports of bird flu in Rourkela city led to panic among the people, outbreak of suspected Ranikhet Disease (RD) has posed another challenge for Sundargarh district administration. Death of backyard poultries (domesticated chickens) in Kacharu village of Kuanrmunda block were reported on Monday.
Rourkela city administration has refrained from culling poultry birds stating that there is nothing to suggest that avian influenza virus has affected farm poultry available with city vendors.
In the last week of December last year, some birds were found dead in Indira Gandhi (IG) Park of Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) and carcasses of several crows were found around CISF campus near Bisra Square. A test of the samples confirmed bird flu as the reason. The IG Park is presently closed for visitors and one km radius of the two areas has been declared alert zones.
Alarmed over the situation, Rourkela ADM and Rourkela Municipal Commissioner (RMC) Administration, Monisha Bannerji on Monday held a task force meeting with Joint Director, Animal Disease Research Institute (ADRI), Dr LN Behera; Deputy Director, ADRI , Dr BK Parida; Chief District Veterinary Officer (CDVO), Sundargarh, Dr DK Patnaik; Panposh Sub-Collector HS Behera; Chief Medical Officer of Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH) Dr RC Behera and RMC Commissioner AK Mallick. They also visited the CISF campus and IG Park.
The CDVO said so far carcasses of about 40 crows have been burnt safely. Sanitary workers have been given necessary instructions and from Monday formalin would be sprayed around CISF campus. The zoo authorities of RSP have already started sanitary measures and all zoo birds are healthy. The administration has collected 63 blood, cloacal and swab samples of live poultry birds for testing.
Meanwhile, a veterinary team was sent to Kacharu village on Monday to collect samples of dead and live domestic fowls for laboratory test. The CDVO said deaths of around 30 backyard poultry fowls were reported in the last 10 days at Kacharu village. The CDVO said from the symptoms, it appeared that the backyard poultry fowls died of Ranikhet Disease as they showed symptoms of white diarrhoea and dizziness.
Rourkela ADM claimed that bird flu in Rourkela is confined to crows and has not yet spread to poultry birds. The meat vendors near the affected areas have been advised not to haphazardly dispose of waste materials to prevent feasting by crows.
Meanwhile, all poultry vendors across the city have been advised to maintain necessary hygiene and not to procure fresh stocks from outside. After bird flu outbreak in 2008, prohibitory order was clamped on import of poultry birds in the district.