BHUBANESWAR: The state government started culling of birds in Puri district on Sunday after Animal Diseases Research Institute (ADRI) confirmed bird flu in samples collected from the area.
Sources said around 5,000 chickens in a poultry farm in Abalpur near Pipili were culled by the rapid response team. Samples were collected from the area a few days ago following the death of birds.
Additional director (animal disease control) Dr Jagannath Nanda said the poultry birds were buried after culling as per the protocol and the farm was sanitised. “Culling of birds would be carried out in 11 villages that fall within one km radius of Abalpur. We have targeted to cull around 20,000 poultry birds in the region,” he said.
The H5N1 strain of the bird flu that is considered highly pathogenic and can be transmitted to animals such as pigs, large cats, dogs and occasionally humans was confirmed after some samples sent to National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal tested positive for the avian influenza. Initially planned on Saturday, the culling of birds was postponed due to resistance from the locals and poultry farm owners. They later agreed after the local administration discussed with them. As many as 13 teams from different districts have been deputed for the culling exercise.
Meanwhile, Puri collector Siddharth Shankar Swain has directed the local block development officer (BDO) to initiate measures to contain the outbreak. Officials of other blocks have also been directed to take preventive measures like regular surveillance through collection of tracheal and cloacal swabs, environmental samples and serum samples of the birds by field veterinarians. People, poultry farmers and traders have been requested to report any unusual mortality of birds occurring in flocks.