Bird flu: Inspection gate set up at Bavali, to check vehicles

Entry of fowls from other States banned

Following the outbreak of bird flu in some parts of Kerala district, an inspection gate has been set up at Bavali, in H D Kote taluk of the district, said Dr Devdas, Deputy Director, Department of Animal Husbandry, here on Saturday. 

Speaking at a meeting chaired by Zilla Panchayat President Pushpa Amarnath, he said that a team comprising six persons, including a doctor, police inspector and other personnel have been deputed at the inspection gate.

“Only after medicine against bird flu is sprayed to the vehicles at the gate, are they allowed to enter the district,” he said. He said that inspection of vehicles will be held from 6 am to 6 pm.

He said that there was also a temporary ban on chicken, ducks and turkey, which are transported from Kerala to the State. 

Even though cases of bird flu has not been reported outside Kottayam district in Kerala, precautionary measures have been taken to ensure the poultry industry in the region is not hit by the disease, he said. 

In Kerala, bird flu has resulted in the death of more than 15,000 chicken and two lakh ducks have been culled. “In Kerala too, bird flu has not affected any humans yet,” he said. He said that there was a demand for 800 tonnes of chicken in Kerala, while production was only 300 tonnes.

“The deficit is being supplied from parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. About 75,000 chicken and 25 lakh eggs are being transported to Kerala from the district,” he said.

Migratory birds

Noting that migratory birds too can cause an outbreak of bird flu, he said that blood samples of such birds have been collected at Karanji and Kukkarahalli lakes, to analyse whether any birds have been affected by the disease. 

Apart from these birds, blood samples have also been collected from poultry farms in the district. A total of 18 samples have been sent to Bengaluru for analysis, he said.

Rapid response

He said that a rapid response team had also been formed to attend to cases of bird flu, if any, in the district. Each team will have six personnel and personal protection kit will be provided to them. As many as 42 such teams have been formed, he said.

Pushpa instructed District Health Officer, Dr H T Puttaswamy to issue guidelines to all Primary Healthcare Centres and other establishments of the Health department to identify cases of bird flu, if they are reported in the district. 

“There is no need for panic. All measures to control the spread of the disease has been taken,” she said.

Chamarajanagar

Following a bird flu outbreak at Kottayam in Kerala, strict measures have been taken to ban transport of fowls and their products from neighbouring districts into Karnataka.

A discussion was held on the preventive measures to be taken at a meeting presided over by the Deputy Commissioner A M Kunjappa, in Chamarajanagar, on Saturday.

The DC directed the officials of departments of Animal Husbandry, Forest and KSRTC to be on high alert and stop any vehicle shifting fowls and its products in the border areas of the district at Punajanuru, Hangala, Molehole, Odeyarapalya and Palar checkposts. 

Kunjappa said, chicken and other products are being transported from Mysuru district to the neigbouring Kerala and not vice versa. Hence, the chances of the spread of the bird flu in the State was unlikely. 

Vehicles returning after supplying fowls to Kerala should be inspected and cleaned and washed with pesticides and other medicines as part of preventive measures. Only after that the vehicles should be allowed entry inside the district, he stated.

1.91 lakh chicken

As per the latest survey, there are about 1.91 lakh chicken in the district. Blood samples of the fowls are being sent to the laboratory in Bengaluru for testing, every day. About 21 samples have been despatched since the past three days.

Twenty one units with eight members each has been formed to act immediately in case of the bird flu outbreak, he said.