Dead crows in Jharkhand raise fears of avian virus

The Jharkhand animal husbandry department (AHD) has sounded an alert and asked people not to touch the dead crows. It has issued  advertisements in local dailies asking people not to touch the dead birds, or bury them and inform the administration when they spot dead crows.

“The advisory has been issued considering the deaths of crows in many districts. Expert teams are trying to ascertain the reason behind the deaths of the crows,” animal husbandary department director A.G. Bandhopadhya told reporters.

Dead crows have been found in large numbers in Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro, Khuti, Sahebganj and other districts of the state. A team of experts of the Indian Veterinary Research Institute of Bhopal is in Jharkhand to ascertain the reasons behind these deaths.

Jharkhand has been keeping different institutes of the country and the central government posted about the latest developments.

Health department officials suspect the crows are infected with H5 and H1 avian virus.

“Human beings should stay away from the crows. If the virus enters the human body, it could take the shape of an epidemic,” a health department official told IANS.