After Kerala, Karnataka Reports Bird Flu Outbreak, More Than 11,000 Fowls Culled In Mysuru
Even as the country grapples with an outbreak of the coronavirus, there is another trouble lurking in the wild - bird flu also called avian influenza.
After Kerala, Karnataka has become the second Indian state to report an outbreak of the infection.
Two cases of bird flu have been reported from the Kumbarakoppal area of Mysuru.?
According to reports, two domestic birds had died in Kumnarakoppal on March 12 which triggered the suspicion. Following the deaths, the authorities had sent the samples to the test lab in Bhopal.
The authorities received the report which confirmed avian influenza.
After the viral infection was confirmed the authorities of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services have decided to cull all the birds in the infected area within one-kilometre radius of the house to prevent the spread of bird flu.?
This includes some 7,000 birds in houses in the localities, including chicken, and 4,000 chicken in a poultry farm.
On Tuesday, more than 2000 birds, mostly from poultry farms were culled and more will be euthanized in the coming days.?
Even though the authorities have said that the situation is under control and there is no need to panic, the sale of chicken has been banned in the area.
Earlier this month, a similar outbreak was confirmed in two chicken farms in Kozhikode district of Kerala, forcing authorities to take similar action.
Avian influenza?refers to the disease caused by infection with bird influenza flu Type A viruses. These viruses occur naturally among wild aquatic birds worldwide and can infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. Avian flu viruses do not normally infect humans.?
The outbreak comes at a time when the poultry industry is already going through a tough time due to the spread of Covid-19.
Some messages that were widely circulated on social media had falsely claimed that Covid-19 was spread through chicken, which resulted in a steep drop in chicken prices.
The situation had become so bad that recently a shocking video had surfaced showing a farmer in Karnataka burying a truckload of chickens after Covid-19 fears made the business unsustainable.?
The farmer, Najeer Ahmed Makandar, had loaded around 6,000 chickens, all about a month old in a truck and dumped the live birds in a large pit in Nulsoor, Belagavi's Gokak taluk. He said he was left with no option but to bury them as he had spent nearly six lakh to rear the chickens.
