Measures taken to curb AI outbreak in India

Authorities in neighbouring states to a highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in the southern Indian state of Kerala are taking measures to ensure that the virus which resulted in the culling of 200,000 ducks and chickens on Wednesday, does not spread.

The H5N1 strain of avian influenza was detected after more than 15,000 infected ducks died on the farm in Kerala.

The Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department will deploy veterinarians on all check-posts in the routes leading to Kerala to prevent the entry of birds. Veterinarians manning check-posts, which will be functional round-the-clock, will spray disinfectants on all vehicles coming from Kerala.

The district administration in Tamil Nadu, which is the main poultry producing area in India, has also constituted 20 rapid response teams to tackle any outbreak of bird flu epidemic. As many as 700 bird culling kits have also been kept on the standby to deal with any contingency, according to officials.

Further, Animal Husbandry Department veterinarians will also undertake daily inspections of private poultry farms, which have been instructed to implement bio-security measures to prevent the transmission of bird flu.

The measures decided include restricting the entry of vehicles and personnel of other poultries, preventing stagnation of water and roosting of other birds near the farms, besides providing quality bird feed.

The veterinarians attending to private poultries have been issued instructions to alert the Government to any mass death of birds, which could indicate the outbreak of bird flu.