Death of birds sparks off bird flu scare

Birds aged between three weeks and 70 weeks were dying and the owners thought it was due to heat stroke.

The death of around 10,000 birds in a poultry farm in Humnabad taluk has sparked off fears of a bird flu break out in Bidar district.

Deputy Commissioner Anurag Tewari held a meeting of officials on Saturday and Sunday regarding the issue.

Officials informed that between 600-1,000 young chicken died in a private poultry near Humnabad in the last two weeks. Birds aged 3-70 weeks died and the owners thought that it was due to heat stroke. However, Pramod Kulkarni, assistant director of animal husbandry, noticed the odd phenomenon and informed senior officers. A team of surveillance officers led by Shiva Murthy visited the farm and sent samples of body tissues to a laboratory in Bengaluru. A team of the central animal husbandry department officials is expected to visit the Humnabad farm and surrounding farms on Monday, veterinary officials said.

“We are not coming to any conclusions now. We will await test results,” the DC said. He said officers of the concerned departments of state and central government would be kept informed. “We will follow their instructions,” he said.