Two districts in Kerala, Alappuzha and Kottayam, have been placed on high alert after cases of bird flu in ducks were confirmed, the state’s animal husbandry minister K Raju said. He said at least 50,000 ducks will be slaughtered to control the spread of the virus and that the government will compensate farmers.
New cases were detected after the ducks began to die in large numbers, said Alappuzha District Veterinary Officer K Lekha. Subsequent tests at the National Institute for High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal confirmed the presence of the virus in dead birds. The minister has called a meeting tomorrow to coordinate steps to contain the outbreak.
In 2016, bird flu was reported in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts and at least 2 lakh of chickens and ducks were culled to control the outbreak. Highly contagious veterinary experts said that all birds raised in the vicinity will have to be euthanized to contain the disease. In both districts, chicken prices have plummeted after the news broke.
Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, is a variety of influenza caused by a virus in birds. It can spread to humans and can trigger person-to-person transmission, experts say. There are many varieties of viruses and H7N9 is considered dangerous among them, they say. According to the World Health Organization, there are many subtypes of avian influenza viruses and only a few of them will be dangerous to humans. Winged hosts are reported to be the main carriers of the virus.
.
