Kerala’s Kottayam reports 3 bird flu cases, mass culling begins today

Mangalore Today News Network

Kottayam, Dec 15, 2021: Three bird flu cases have been confirmed in Kerala’s Kottayam district with samples from as many panchayats Vechur, Aymanam and Kallara testing positive. Culling of ducks and other birds will begin on Wednesday to contain the virus.

 

District Collector Dr P K Jayashree called an emergency meeting of officials to discuss control measures. The tests were conducted at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal. Last week, the same flu was confirmed in neighbouring Alappuzha district. Ducks and other birds were culled to fend off the virus.

In Alappuzha, bird flu had led to losses and a confirmation in Kottayam also comes with concerns, especially for farmers.

The ducks in Alappuzha were culled and burnt. Similar measures will be taken in Kottayam. Teams will be deployed for destroying high-risk birds in areas where the cases have been confirmed.

It all started when ducks started dying in large numbers a few weeks back in Alappuzha.

Over 8,000 ducks of three farmers died in one panchayat in the beginning. The civic and district administration will be hoping to avoid a similar situation in Kottayam. While the chance of disease spreading to humans is less, the infection can still cause issues if contracted.

In Kottayam’s Vechur panchayat, the virus was detected in Kattamada, Valiyaputhukkari-Pulloozhichal region, while Venthakari-Kizhakkechira region in Kallara panchayat and Kalunguthara-Aikkarashala region in Aymanam are the other affected regions. The virus detected here is H5N1.

A team of ten has been deployed to do mass culling. Each team has a veterinary doctor, one livestock inspector and three helpers. While two teams will focus on Kallara panchayat, five will focus on Vechur and three will be in Aymanam.

An estimated 28,500 to 35,000 birds will have to be destroyed as per the central government directive which needs to be followed once bird flu is confirmed.

Results of samples from Kumarakom are awaited. The district administration expects the culling to take one day in Kallara, three days in Vechur and two days in Aymanam. A compensation of Rs 100 for ducks younger than 60 days and Rs 200 for those older than that are given.

Courtesy:India Today