ANANTAPUR: Bird flu has been confirmed in Siddarampuram village of Bukkarayasamudram mandal in Anantapur district, where around 2,000 chickens died at a poultry farm, prompting district authorities to step up preventive measures.
The Animal Husbandry, Revenue and Police departments swung into action after chickens at the farm began dying one after another. Samples collected from the affected birds were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal for testing. The laboratory report confirmed that the deaths were caused by avian influenza (bird flu).
The poultry farm was recently established by Siddarampuram resident Venkata Ramudu under the National Livestock Mission. The chickens were procured from Adilabad in Telangana. According to officials, birds started falling ill a few days ago and around 2,000 subsequently died.
Following confirmation, officials implemented the prescribed disease-control protocol in and around the village. A one-km radius around the infected poultry farm was declared an infected zone, while an additional nine-km radius was designated as an alert zone, covering 10 km area.
Four check-posts were established on roads leading out of the village to prevent the movement of poultry and poultry products. Officials stopped the movement of poultry products into and out of the affected area and ordered closure of chicken and egg shops in the village.
Infected and surviving birds, along with feed, eggs, litter, contaminated material and other poultry-related waste, were safely disposed of and buried or destroyed as per the protocol. Officials asked villagers to hand over their chickens to the authorities for prevention.
“Following the directions of the Anantapur Collector, we are implementing the disease-control protocol in coordination with all departments,” said District Animal Husbandry Officer G Prem Chand. He said poultry products would not be permitted in the infected zone for 90 days as a precaution.
He said samples had been collected from Kadamalakunta village in Vajrakarur mandal and sent for testing. Further action would be taken after the report was received. Officials suspected that the virus might have spread through feed or infected birds.
Health officials advised residents to remain vigilant and immediately inform medical authorities if they develop symptoms such as cold, fever, breathing difficulty or other illness. People were advised to avoid handling or consuming poultry products from the affected area until the situation returns to normal.
Meanwhile, Venkat Ramudu appealed to the district officials to provide compensation, stating that he had suffered losses of over `10 lakh due to the death of birds. He said he had taken a bank loan to establish the poultry farm and requested the authorities to extend financial assistance to help him recover from the loss.