Bird flu confirmed in ducks at two places in Kerala’s Alappuzha district

Over 21,000 birds, mostly ducks, to be culled within 1-km radius of hotspots

File photo for representational purpose only. | Photo Credit: The Hindu

After a lull, bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in Alappuzha.

Alappuzha District Animal Husbandry officer Sajeev Kumar K.R. said the presence of the H5N1 subtype of the Influenza A virus has been reported in ducks at Edathua and Cheruthana in Kuttanad region.

Mr. Kumar said that avian flu had affected the birds of three farmers — one at Edathua grama panchayat (ward 1) and two at Cheruthana panchayat (ward 3).

Abraham Ouseph at Edathua, who was raising 7,500 ducks, had lost 3,000 birds since April 12. Likewise, Raghunathan Chirayil and Devarajan T., who were raising 2,000 and 15,000 ducks at Cheruthana, lost 238 and 171 birds respectively.

Following the mass death of ducks, the Animal Husbandry Department (AHD) sent samples of the dead birds to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for analyses, which tested positive for avian influenza on Tuesday.

District Collector Alex Varghese chaired a meeting to take stock of the situation on Wednesday. AHD Officials said that measures had been initiated to check the spread of the disease.

Culling of birds within the 1-km radius of the hotspots would begin once the Union government issued the notification.

“As per the preliminary assessment, as many as 21, 537 birds, mostly ducks, will have to be culled as part of the containment measures. Culling operations will be carried out by rapid response teams. We hope to begin culling on Friday,” said an official. The culling and disposal of carcasses will be done as per the standard operating procedure.

Meanwhile, the district administration has issued an order banning the movement of birds to and from within a 1-km radius of the hotspots.

It is the fourth time in three years that avian influenza has been confirmed in the region. In January 2021, avian flu caused by the H5N8 strain of the Influenza A virus was detected in several places in Kuttanad.

Another outbreak of bird flu (H5N1) was confirmed in Thakazhy grama panchayat in December 2021. In October 2022, bird flu (H5N1) was confirmed at Vazhuthanam in Haripad municipality. It later spread to other places with cases being reported till early 2023.