BENGALURU: Following reports of bird flu in Bengaluru and Mandya, Animal Husbandry Minister A Manju said chickens are safe for consumption in the state.There was a suspected outbreak of avian influenza at a poultry farm at Dasarahalli near Bengaluru, after which the area around was contained.
Samples that were sent from Mandya to The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal have come as negative for any form of bird flu that is lethal to humans.Flu for native chicken in Mandya, he said, was caused by an H5 strain of virus, not H5N1.“The strain does not cause any problems to humans,” he said. Test reports of the Dasarahalli poultry farm sent to NIHSAD are still awaited, he added.
“There are different types of fevers suffered by birds. We are finding out what kind of disease this is,” he said. He added that there is a possibility that the birds caught the disease from migratory birds.
To a question on chicken brought from neighbouring states, he said that routine checks are done on these chickens before they are allowed for consumption.