As many as 693 hens, infected by bird flu (H5N8), were culled in Itagi village in Hosapete taluk on Friday.
The situation is under control from Saturday, according to Basavaraj Benni, Assistant Director (incharge) department of Veterinary and Animal Husbandry.
Following a complaint by Dadapeer, a poultry farm owner in Ittagi village that about a dozen of birds had died, Mr. Benni and his team visited the spot and performed post-mortem and found that the birds were infected by newcastle disease.
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Samples sent to Regional lab in Bengaluru found that the birds were infected by H5N8. Again the samples were sent to Bhopal for re-confirmation that it was positive.
On getting the report, steps were initiated to cull all the birds - 500 birds in the poultry and 193 in the village - withn a radius of one km and dispose them off scientifically.
A three-km radius has been declared as infected zone and 10 km radius as vigilance zone.
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In addition, four check posts have been set up at various places to prevent transportation of birds. “We will constantly monitor the situation for the next 90 days”, he told The Hindu .
Dr. Benni advised that people should not consume half boiled eggs or chicken as a precautionary measure.