Bird flu confirmed in 9 states: Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

NEW DELHI: Bird flu outbreaks have been confirmed in 12 states so far, out of which cases have been reported in poultry birds from nine states, while in wild birds from 12 states, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said.

As on January 23, outbreaks of Avian Influenza have been confirmed in these nine states for poultry birds: Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab.

According to a ministry statement, bird flu cases have been reported in these 12 states for crow/migratory/wild birds: Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. 

However, crow/pigeon samples submitted from Rudraprayag, Lansdowne Forest Range and Paudi Forest Range of Uttarakhand; pigeon samples from Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan; crow and peacock samples from Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh have been found negative for Avian Influenza, the statement added.

Control and Containment Operations (Cleaning and Disinfection) are going on in the affected epicentres of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Kerala.

Compensation is paid to the farmers whose poultry birds, eggs and poultry feed are culled/disposed of by the state as per the action plan. The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) provides funds to states/UTs on a 50:50 sharing basis under ASCAD component of its LH & DC Scheme, said the ministry.

(With agency inputs)