A significant outbreak of bird flu has occurred in Jharkhand, prompting an alert in the state capital Ranchi. To address this issue, over 4,000 birds have been culled thus far. The Jharkhand government issued the alert after multiple cases of bird flu, or Avian flu, were identified in a state-operated poultry farm in Ranchi.
According to a report from India Today, more than 4,000 birds, including chickens, were culled and hundreds of eggs were destroyed following the confirmation of cases at the Regional Poultry Farm in Hotwar, Ranchi.
Sale of chicken, birds, and eggs has been prohibited by the state government within a 1-kilometer radius of the outbreak site of the avian flu.
Remaining poultry at the Regional Poultry Farm will be culled in the upcoming days and disposed of using scientific methods, as announced by the state government.
Authorities have issued orders to survey a 1-kilometer radius from the epicenter to identify infections and carry out culling. Officials have been instructed to delineate a 10-kilometer area as a surveillance zone.
Simultaneously, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying has instructed the state to implement all necessary measures to prevent further spread.
The presence of H5N1, a strain of avian influenza A virus causing illness in birds, was confirmed in samples analyzed at the ICAR-National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, according to an official.
An advisory has been issued by the Animal Husbandry Department, urging individuals to report any discoveries of deceased birds.
The state government has been urged to take prompt actions including the delineation of infected and surveillance areas, restriction of access to affected premises, culling and disposal of birds and infected materials.
Officials have been directed to identify areas within a one-kilometer radius of the affected location, while a ten-kilometer radius will be designated as a surveillance zone.
The official explained that the farm, which had been closed for renovation, reopened just three months ago and received poultry from Bhubaneswar.
