he Indian government Friday confirmed the outbreak of Avian Influenza (AI) or bird flu in 11 states.
“As of Jan. 15, 2021, Avian Influenza (AI) has been confirmed in wild birds in Burhanpur, Rajgarh, Dindori, Chhindwara, Mandla, Harda, Dhar, Sagar and Satna districts of Madhya Pradesh (crows and pigeons), Dehradun district of Uttarakhand (crows and Kite), Rohini in Delhi (crow) and Jaipur Zoo in Rajasthan (Duck and Black Stork),” a statement issued by the federal ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying said.
“Moreover, cases of AI in poultry has been confirmed from Anand/Bhagirath Kalosiya in Harda district of Madhya Pradesh and G S Poultry farm Balod district of Chhattisgarh. Altogether, 11 states in the country have been affected by AI,” it added.
The ministry said steps to make the general public aware of the disease were being undertaken.
“Also, efforts to remove misinformation about avian influenza among the people is underway,” the ministry said.
The government said states have been requested to instruct the authorities concerned not to impose a ban and allow the selling of poultry and poultry products sourced from AI-free areas.
“AI is not new to the country but has been reported every year since 2006. The country has been effectively controlling the disease. It was reiterated that the virus gets destroyed easily at 70 degrees Centigrade and therefore, properly cooked poultry and poultry products are safe for human consumption,” the ministry said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday ordered the poultry market to reopen and withdrew the temporary restrictions on the import of live birds and packaged chicken from other states, hours after laboratory reports suggested that avian influenza had not affected poultry in Delhi.
The states affected by bird flu in India are Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Delhi, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh.
File photo of a poultry farm.Photo:Xinhua
