ALAPPUZHA: Bird flu cases have increased in Kerala with lately over 33,000 birds being culled in Pallipuram panchayat.
Protocols including area isolation and proper detection of infection being implemented by the veterinary department. However the recent heavy rains have made the task a challenging one which has led to only 10,000 of the birds being culled.
Here's how the countermeasures have been coordinated in the Action plan for prevention, control and containment of Avian disease by the government :
If a farmer suspects bird flu in his poultry, he should report it to the nearest veterinary hospital. If five or more birds die suddenly, samples are sent for testing to a high-security animal disease lab called The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal.
After confirmation, the infected areas are divided into three zones: epicentre, the outbreak origin point, infected zone the area in 1 km radius of the origin, and surveillance zone that is the area within 10 km radius. All birds in the infected zone are culled to prevent further spread.
However disposing of the carcasses is a big challenge as the firewood, coconut husks and shells are nearly impossible due to the heavy rains. With burial being the other option the carcasses have to buried atleast 2 meter deep, but in the current scenario groundwater would fill up the hole in low laying areas of Kuttanad....
The rapid mutation of the bird flu virus makes vaccine development extremely challenging.
While total vaccination is ideal, research is currently focused on developing human vaccines as per WHO guidelines. “Since infected birds have no immunity and will die anyway, culling helps control the virus spread.Panchayats are responsible for humane culling and proper disposal of carcasses.Compensation will be provided to farmers for culled birds” , says Dr Rahul S, Epidemiologist, Kottayam.