ALAPPUZHA: More than 20,000 ducks were culled in the bird flu-affected panchayats of Edathua and Cheruthana in Alappuzha on Friday.
Animal husbandry department officials said eight rapid response teams (RRTs) were formed under the department, and completed the culling by evening. The carcasses were burned using kerosene and sugar, the officials said.
“The area will be under observation for another week. The district administration has declared the areas in the two panchayats as flu-affected and banned transportation of birds from there to other places in the district. Sale of eggs, feeds, and manure of duck, chicken and other birds has been banned for two weeks,” said an official.
The presence of H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus was detected in ducks in the two panchayats. Three farmers were also found infected. The ducks started to fall by April 12. The animal husbandry officials sent the dead birds’ samples to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, which identified the virus on Wednesday.