BHOPAL: Perhaps for the first time in the country, cats have been found infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu (avian influenza) virus in Chhindwara district of Madhya Pradesh.
Three cats domesticated by separate families in Ward No 30 and Mohan Nagar localities of Chhindwara city, were recently found infected with the H5N1 virus. All three cats died a few days after veterinary researchers from Bhopal collected their samples in Chhindwara.
According to sources in the state veterinary department at Chhindwara, in the month of January, several cats were reported to the veterinary hospital with common symptoms, like high fever, appetite loss and lethargy.
“A team of experts from the high security lab as well as the state lab in Bhopal, arrived at Chhindwara in the first week of this month and took samples of at least three cats (which showed common health symptoms) domesticated by three families in Ward No 30 and Mohan Nagar area of Chhindwara city. The samples subsequently tested positive for the H5N1 avian influenza. Just a few days after their samples were collected for laboratory testing, all three cats died,” a senior official of the veterinary department told this newspaper on Friday.
Subsequent probe by the health and veterinary department indicated that the families which domesticated the cats had fed them with raw (uncooked) chicken, sourced from the nearby Mutton Market.
“Samples from chicken were collected from shops in Mutton Market and sent for laboratory testing, and the test results showed that chicken too were infected with the H5N1 virus, which compelled the Chhindwara district administration to declare heightened alert for suspected Bird Flu in a radius of one km from the Mutton Market. Surveillance was ordered in a 10 km radius of the concerned market and movement, purchase and sale of chicken and poultry products were banned totally in the concerned area,” the official added.
Not just that but samples of chicken in Linga-Bargona village (around 12 km from Chhindwara city) too tested positive for H5N1, prompting the district administration to enforce similar restrictions in the concerned rural area also.
“We’ve so far culled over 1160 birds (poultry chicken) at the Mutton Market in Chhindwara city and Linga-Bargona village. Over 3,600 eggs and chicken feed too have been destroyed and the culled chicken buried in deep pits as per the standard operating procedures. A sum of Rs 3 lakh has been paid as compensation by the administration to the affected shop and poultry farm owners,” the veterinary department official added.
According to a health department official in Chhindwara, while cats and chicken have tested positive for H5N1 virus, the humans who came in their contact have fortunately not been infected by the avian influenza virus.
“We sent samples of around 65 people who came in contact with the three infected cats to Pune and at least 19 swab samples of humans who were the first contacts of the infected birds were sent to AIIMS-Bhopal to test for suspected bird flu, but all the samples have turned negative. Still those people are under our surveillance,” the official added.
According to Chhindwara district administration sources, the ban on sale and movement of poultry in two areas (Mutton Market and Linga-Bargona village) will stay in place till March 4, meaning the poultry farm and shops will stay closed till then.
The number of cats being reported at the veterinary hospital in Chhindwara city for common symptoms, however, has gone down drastically in the last 15 days.