Delhi Becomes the Ninth State to Report Bird Flu

Bird Flu or avian influenza is wreaking havoc in the country; updates from Delhi on the invasion of Bird Flu

Friday, 15th January 2021

Delhi is now the ninth state to report confirmed cases of bird flu as several other states express concerns of the disease spreading there.

Delhi’s Animal Husbandry Department has confirmed in its statement, “Bird flu has been confirmed in Delhi after testing eight samples from dead crows and ducks. All the samples tested positive for avian flu”.

The state had sent a total of 104 samples to labs situated in Bhopal and Jalandhar for testing and also to confirm whether it was avian influenza that was the cause of the bird deaths.

The famous Sanjay Lake in the national capital had been declared an “alert zone” on Sunday. This was done after seventeen more ducks were found dead in the area. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has closed the property that contains a water body and park in it, to the public, since the incident.

Fear of the disease has also caused the national capital to shut down three more recreational parks, Hauz Khas Park, Dwarka Sector 9 Park, Hastsal Park.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture is scheduled to have a meeting at 3 pm on Wednesday with senior members of the Ministry of Animal Husbandry to take stock of the status of veterinary services and the availability of animal vaccines in India.

Other states to have confirmed cases of avian flu are Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. Maharashtra was the eighth state to report cases of bird flu in the state with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray calling for a meeting on Wednesday evening with senior officials to review the situation.

As per reports from the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, the disease is classified as “zoonotic”. However, the infection is yet not reported in humans as of now in the country.

In a statement, the ministry clarified, “There is no direct evidence that AI viruses can be transmitted to humans via the consumption of contaminated poultry products. Implementing management practices that incorporate biosecurity principles, personal hygiene, and cleaning and disinfection protocols, as well as cooking and processing standards, are effective means of controlling the spread of the AI viruses”.

The News Talkie Bureau

Source

The Indian Express