NIZAMABAD: Though the State has not reported any case of avian influenza (bird flu) yet, reports of deaths of poultry birds continue to cause anxiety and panic among people of Telangana as almost 10 States have already confirmed its outbreak.Adding to their worries are images and reports of the death scores of chickens, at a poultry farm in Dichpally, which went viral on social media, on Wednesday.
While the laboratory test reports of samples collected from the birds are yet to be received, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry (VAH) Department officials ruled out chances of bird flu and attributed the deaths to Ranikhet, a disease common among birds.
Over the last three days, around 400 birds have died at the poultry farm at Yanampally thanda of Dichpally in Nizamabad district, owned by a person named Ramachandra Goud. Their bodies were buried in a pit as per protocols of VAH Department. District VAH Department Joint Director Dr M Bharath and team visited the poultry farm and observed the carcasses. After preliminary findings, they ruled out bird flu as a cause of death. They have collected viscera samples and sent them for testing to Veterinary Biological and Research Institute in Hyderabad. The VAH Department officials told Express that the reports are expected in the next three days and added that around 22 teams, comprising veterinary doctors, are on vigil and constantly monitoring the developments.
Speaking to Express, VAH Department Director Vangala Lakshma Reddy said, on Wednesday, that samples of birds, dead as well as live, are being collected from across the State and tested daily for bird flu at the VBRI. The officials pointed out that no trace of bird flu have been found yet from any of the 33 districts.
He added that the teams of veterinary officials, formed across the State, are keeping a tab on the situation and are also in touch with the Forest Department officials. On Wednesday, around 26 samples were tested at the VBRI and all of them tested negative for avian influenza.