325 birds culled after avian flu outbreak at Ranchi poultry farm

Ranchi: A total of 325 birds were culled on Sunday, after an avian flu case was reported at a poultry farm of Birsa Agriculture University (BAU) in Ranchi, an official said.

The entire affected zone was also sanitised, he said.

"A total of 325 birds were culled. There is no need for panic as it was a localised incidence. The affected guinea fowls were kept for research purpose in the farm," District Animal Husbandry Officer (DAHO) Kavindra Nath Singh told PTI.

He said the authorities would map and notify areas within one-km radius on Monday. Places within a 10-km radius will be kept under surveillance, Singh said.

Around 150 guinea fowls have died over the past 20 days at the farm located in a veterinary college, officials said.

The presence of H5N1, a type of avian influenza A virus, was confirmed in the samples sent to the ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal, a Ranchi veterinary college official said.

The Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has asked the state to take all measures to contain its spread, including declaration of infected and surveillance areas, restricting access to the affected premises and culling of birds.

The state’s animal husbandry department on Saturday issued an advisory and standard operating procedure (SOP), prohibiting sale and purchase of the birds in the area.

A control room is also being set up, which will be functional from Monday, another official said.