There seems to be no end to the reports of bird flu (avian influenza) deaths in some parts of India. With the Maharashtra government informing deaths of 983 birds on Saturday and the Rajasthan government reporting deaths of 215 more birds in the state. The toll has reached 5151 since 8th Jan in Maharashtra and 5130 since 25 December 2020 in Rajasthan.
In the national capital, Pigeon and brown fish owl in Najafgarh and Heron in Rohini have tested positive for avian influenza.
According to Maharashtra government, till 16 January 2021 cases of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in poultry in Latur, Parbhani, Nanded, Pune, Solapur, Yavatmal, Ahmednagar, Beed and Raigad districts.
Moreover, Avian Influenza has been confirmed in Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh; Surat, Navsari and Narmada districts of Gujarat; Dehradun district of Uttarakhand and Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh.
Also Read: Bird flu scare: Safe to eat chickens and eggs, but how?
As per the report of Central Poultry Development Organisation in Mumbai, unusual mortality of poultry has been found in the farm, the samples have been sent to the designated laboratory for testing.
In Chhattisgarh, Rapid Response Teams have been deployed and culling of poultry is underway in the epicentre of Balod district.
Further, in Madhya Pradesh also RRTs have been deployed. Culling operation of poultry is underway in the epicentre of Harda district.
The central teams formed for monitoring the situation in the affected areas of the country are visiting the affected sites and conducting epistemological studies.
Meanwhile, the centre has urged the states to rethink their decisions to impose a ban on the sale of poultry and poultry products and allow their selling sourcing them from the non-infected areas and states.
The central government has reiterated that the consumption of well-cooked chicken and eggs is safe for humans. People should not heed to baseless rumours that are unscientific and often lead to confusion. These adversely affect poultry and egg markets and thereby poultry and maize farmers, who are already affected by the COVID 19 pandemic lockdown.
Following the advisories, states are undertaking awareness generation activities through newspaper advertisements and social media platforms.
Plus, efforts are on to generate awareness about Avian Influenza and how to deal with the situation through various media and social media platforms.
India braces for heatwave: Top tips to stay safe in sweltering conditions
Flight cancelled or delayed? Guidelines you must know
Assembly elections 2023: Poll schedule for MP, Rajasthan, 3 other states out