ROURKELA: Sundargarh district veterinary authorities have ruled out bird flu in the district after approximately 200 dead broiler chickens were found under mysterious circumstances near Thiaberna village in Darjing gram panchayat on Sunday evening.
On Tuesday, a veterinary team from the District Diagnostic Laboratory collected samples from domesticated chickens in the area for testing. They confirmed that no trace of bird flu has been detected in Sundargarh so far.
In response to the incident, the vaccination campaign for Ranikhet Disease (RD) in domestic chickens across Darjing GP has been expedited.
The dead poultry near Lalsahi hamlet, close to National Highway (NH) 143, caused shock and panic among local residents. The carcasses were buried on Sunday, and the police have been notified to investigate the source of the dumped birds.
Sundargarh chief district veterinary officer Dr Santosh Patnaik visited the site on Tuesday to assess the situation. He reported that precautionary measures include the collection of 50 environmental samples and from domestic chickens for testing at ADRI, Bhubaneswar. DrPatnaik said, “There are no poultry farms in Darjing GP and that vaccination efforts have been ramped up, with 400 chickens vaccinated on Tuesday and plans to vaccinate an additional 600 birds in the area.”
Dr Patnaik also mentioned that about 100 samples from across the district are sent for bird flu testing each month, with all results to date showing no positive cases. The vaccination drive aims to cover 16 lakh domesticated birds in 2024-25.
Regarding the origin of the dead chickens, Dr Patnaik said some villagers reported a vehicle dumping the carcasses in the early hours of Sunday. It is suspected that the chickens may have died in an accident involving a vehicle on NH 143 near Darjing.
Lahunipada IIC Suraj Jharkhand confirmed a probe is on to identify those responsible for dumping the dead birds.