Bengaluru, In view of bird flu cases being detected in three districts of Karnataka, the administration is carrying out mass culling, while ramping up its surveillance across the state, especially in districts bordering Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, officials said on Saturday.
Avian influenza , also known as bird flu, is a zoonotic viral disease that primarily affects poultry and may occasionally spillover to mammals, including humans and swine, they said.
Cases of bird flu among poultry birds have been reported in Manvi taluk of Raichur, Chikkaballapur taluk of Chikkaballapur and Sandur taluk of Ballari districts, they said.
However, no cases of bird flu in humans have been reported in the state so far, officials said.
Ansar Ahmed, project director, integrated disease surveillance programme, told PTI that H5N1 was confirmed in the Regional Poultry Breeding and Training Centres of Kurekuppa, Ballari District and Chikkaballapur District at NIHSAD Lab, Bhopal on February 25.
The matter was reported to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Health and Family Welfare, following which an area of radius 3 kms around the infected site was notified as “Infected Area.”
Sharing the data, the senior official stated that on Friday , 292 poultry birds were culled and 64 eggs were destroyed in Chikkaballapur. Similarly, 1,020 poultry birds were culled in Ballari and no eggs were destroyed there.
During culling, cullers and transporters were provided with appropriate personal protective equipment like surgical masks, protective clothing, gloves, goggles and disposable shoe covers as a preventive measure, he said.
Citing protocol, the official said the area between the radius of 3 kms and 10 kms around the infected site should be notified as a surveillance area, which was done.
Explaining the protocols to be followed in such cases, the official said that culling of all the birds and eggs within 1 km area with deep burial is also being done as a precautionary measure as required. Prophylactic medication has been given to close contact persons. They should be isolated for 10 days and watch for flu-like illness.
“All the poultry products, including meat, eggs and waste materials, like used litter and manure, must not be allowed to move out of the infected premises and should be destroyed at once, including any material left over from the period before the disease was reported,” he stated.
All poultry and egg markets/shops within a radius of 10 kms from the infected site should be immediately closed, and instructions in this regard have been given to the concerned officials at the district levels.
“As of now, bird flu cases have been detected only in three districts. We have stepped up our surveillance in other districts as well. All precautionary measures are being taken. We have been creating awareness and educating people, conducting meetings with health, revenue, animal husbandry and veterinary services officials,” he said.
Officials on the ground have been briefed about the protocols to be followed in such cases, which they are following, he added.
Urging the public not to panic, the senior health department official assured that all preventive measures are being taken by the respective district authorities in coordination with the Health and Animal Husbandry departments of the state.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
