An unusual rise in the death of ducks from Vechoor and Kallara panchayats in Kottayam has triggered panic among the Kuttanadan duck farmers in the region.
While the Animal Husbandry department recorded the death of more than 2,000 ducks, including ducklings, farmers said as many as 8,000 ducks died during the past few days with symptoms of avian influenza. The Animal Husbandry department said that lab examinations were yet to confirm the presence of the virus.
District chief veterinary officer Shaji Panikkasseril asked farmers to exercise caution and disinfect the paths and resting places of ducks. The farmers were asked to report the event of unusual deaths of ducks or noticing symptoms similar to avian influenza.
Samples have been collected from the dead birds and sent for examination at the Avian Disease Diagnostics Lab (ADDL) in Thiruvalla. The process was continuing and the samples would also be sent to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, by Monday, said the official.
Earlier this year, bird flu caused by the H5N8 strain of the influenza virus was detected from Neendoor panchayat and other areas in the Upper Kuttanad region. While more than 30,000 ducks had perished following a highly infectious bird flu outbreak caused by H5N1 virus in 2014, more than 10,000 ducks either died or were culled during outbreak of H5N8 strain of the virus in 2016.
