Mass death of ducks in Pavukkaram, near Mannar, has sparked panic among farmers in the region. Around 7,000 ducks of a farmer in the region died in recent days.
Animal Husbandry Department officials said samples had been examined at the Avian Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Thiruvalla.
Bacterial infection
“The cause of death is a bacterial infection. The ducks were infected with Riemerella anatipestifer. All ducks infected so far have been reared by a single farmer,” said Mary James, Alappuzha District Animal Husbandry Officer. Officials said the situation was under control. “It is an antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But, we have taken precautionary measures,” said an official.
Meanwhile, the All Kerala Poultry Federation has urged the authorities to prevent the spread of the disease to other farms. In September 2018, a large number of ducks succumbed to bacterial infection in Upper Kuttanad. Then the duck deaths had been reported from the flood-hit areas. The dead ducks were infected since they were reared in contaminated waters.
