BHUBANESWAR: The bird flu outbreak has begun to spread to more pockets of the Puri district with detection of the H5N1 virus strain among poultry birds in the Nimapara and Delanga blocks.
Sources said samples collected from Motari village under Delanga block and Potapatanga village under Nimapara block tested positive for avian influenza prompting the Animal Resources Development department to start mass culling of birds to prevent further spread.
Additional director of animal disease control Dr Jagannath Nanda said six samples from poultry farms in the two villages were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal. “The rapid response teams (RRTs) have been pressed into service after the samples were found to be positive. Both the blocks have around 120 farms. However, barring 5-6 farms, no poultry birds were found to be affected in the rest during routine surveillance. The birds will be culled in around one km radius of the villages where samples tested positive,” he said.
The avian influenza was first detected in Pipili and Satyabadi blocks on August 26. In response to the outbreak, veterinary officials had initiated culling operations. The culling has now expanded to the newly-affected areas as part of a broader containment strategy.
Puri collector Siddharth Shankar Swain said the affected areas have been declared as containment zones restricting traders to take poultry birds outside and the situation is being monitored closely. “The health of poultry and public safety are our top priority,” he said.
Local traders and farmers are the worst hit due to the outbreak.
Poultry farmers are struggling with the loss of their flocks, while traders are dealing with a significant drop in business as consumers are staying away from poultry products.
Voicing his distress, Upendra Barik, a poultry farmer from Nimapara said the outbreak has devastated his business. “We have two firms set up at a cost of around Rs 1.5 crore. More than 15,000 birds are in the two farms. The culling has dealt a heavy blow to our business,” he said.
Barik said though the state government has promised compensation to the affected farmers, it is too meagre. “According to officials, compensation of Rs 20 will be provided for each small chicken and Rs 70 for bigger ones. How will we repay our loans with this paltry amount?” he rued.
So far, over 30,000 poultry birds have been culled in Pipili and Satyabadi blocks. Veterinary officials have also collected samples from a village in Kendrapara after birds were found dead there. Forest officials have been alerted as Bhitarkanika national park is located in the district. The samples will be sent to Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL) at Kolkata, officials said.