The Bhopal-based National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) confirmed bird flu in the crow carcasses sent from Rajasthan’s Jhalawar district, while the Jalandhar-based Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) has rushed a team to collect samples from Barwala belt of Haryana, where over four lakh poultry bird deaths have been reported dead in the past one month.
Control rooms in Rajasthan
After the Jhalawar samples returned positive, all national parks and forests in Rajasthan were put on high alert. Crows have formed a majority of the casualties in the state. At least half a dozen districts have reported bird deaths since the first case was confirmed on December 31, with Kota and Jodhpur accounting for the highest numbers. Chief Wildlife Warden of Rajasthan ML Meena said that vigil at wildlife sanctuaries, national parks, forests, and the wetlands housing migratory birds has been mounted. The thriving poultry industry in the state is under the continuous monitoring. “Carcasses of birds are being disposed of carefully,” he said.
Haryana situation
Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) in-charge Dr Mohinder Pal said they have rushed a team to Barwala to collect samples of the birds after the first set could not return conclusive reports.
Tough measures in HP
After the RDDL, Palampur Veterinary College, and the NIHSAD told the Himachal Pradesh government that the death of the 2,500-odd migratory birds is attributable to avian flu, authorities declared one-km area from the Pong lake as red zone to contain the spread. Sale of poultry products has been banned in Dehra, Jawali, Fatehpur, and Indora town of Kangra.After the outbreak, Punjab government too sounded an alert in the wetlands of Harike Pattan in Tarn Taran, Keshopur Chhamb in Gurdaspur, Nangal and Rupnagar wetlands.
Confirmed cases in MP
The NIHSAD confirmed H5N8 strain in the crow carcasses from Indore and Mandsaur. Like Rajasthan, crows formed a majority of the casualties from the state. A dedicated control room has been established in Indore. Safety equipment, including PPE kits, anti-retroviral drugs, and disinfectants are being made available to the frontline workers.
Double whammy for Indore health officials
In Indore, where 142 crows were reported dead, at least two samples were found to be infected by the H5N8 virus. The state health department, which is already battling the Covid-19 situation (maximum cases and deaths in MP have been reported from Indore), has begun door-to-door medical check-up of people residing in areas where the crows were found dead. So far 14,000-plus people have been checked by teams
(Inputs from Rajesh Asnani @ Jaipur, Harpreet Bajwa @ Chandigarh, Anuraag Singh @ Bhopal)