Bird flu outbreak in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh; 17,000 chickens, quails culled

An official said that the affected poultry farm was sealed, and the 1 km radius of the farm has been declared an 'infected zone' and the 10 km radius 'surveillance zone'.

Raigarh: At least 17,000 chickens and quails were culled in Chhattisgarh's Raigarh after avian influenza or bird flu was detected at a state-run poultry farm in the district, officials said on Saturday.

The authorities have stepped up vigil within a 10 km radius of the affected area, they said.

After some chickens were recently found dead at the poultry farm in Chakradhar Nagar, samples were sent to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) for testing, an official release stated.

The tests confirmed the H5N1 virus on Friday night, following which Raigarh Collector Kartikeya Goel convened an emergency meeting with senior officials to devise a strategy to deal with the situation, it said.

An official said that as per the standard procedure, personnel from the municipal corporation and veterinary and health departments conducted a joint operation overnight, culling 5,000 chickens and 12,000 quails and destroying 17,000 eggs and poultry feed on the farm.

He said the concerned departments were activated to ensure the situation was brought under control before sunrise and the infection did not spread outside that area.

He added that the affected premises were sanitised.

The affected poultry farm was sealed, and the 1 km radius of the farm has been declared an 'infected zone' and the 10 km radius 'surveillance zone', the official said.

As per protocol, poultry birds, eggs, and poultry feed will be destroyed within the 'infected zone', and their movement will be completely banned. For this, the animal husbandry department will provide compensation to owners of poultry birds.

Poultry and egg shops will be closed in the 'surveillance zone', the statement said.

Officials have confirmed that no human population was affected due to the bird flu outbreak.

Dr Bhanu Patel of the Raigarh health department said the bird flu virus spreads mainly among birds and animals, and there have been no cases of the infection spreading to humans in India.

He, however, said people need to remain cautious about the symptoms and risks of infection.

Dr Patel said the health department team would conduct a door-to-door survey and health check-up within a 1 km radius of the poultry farm so that people with flu symptoms are given precautionary treatment.

He urged people to remain alert to symptoms like fever and visit the nearest health centre for timely treatment.