Bird flu confirmed in Maharashtra; 8,000 birds in Parbhani district to be culled

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will chair a meeting at 5 pm and discuss the bird flu situation in the state

Sparking huge concerns, Maharashtra has reported Bird Flu outbreaks in the commercial capital of Mumbai and two vast regions – Marathwada and the coastal Konkan belt on Monday.

Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will chair a high-level meeting to review the situation in view of the H5N1 Avian Influenza infection in five districts.

Samples of dead birds were sent to National Institute of Virology, Pyne and National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal.

Samples of chicken, crows, parrots, herons and pond egrets have tested positive for the virus, according to the report of the ICAR-NIHSAD.

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The spread includes among hens and herons in Parbhani, crows in Mumbai, Ratnagiri and Beed, pond egret and parrots in Thane, according to the report signed by ICAR-NIHSAD Director VP Singh.

“The samples from Parbhani were sent to Bhopal and the news is not good,” said Animal Husbandary & Dairy Development Minister Sunil Kedar.
According to him, people should not panic but follow the guidelines.

According to Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Rajesh Tope, people must not panic and follow guidelines. “The chances of transmission to humans us very low,” he said.

After the death of 800 hens, Parbhani District Collector Deepak Mughlikar has taken measures to ensure that there is no spread of avian influenza.

The district administration has now decided to cull nearly 8,000 birds in Murumba village where these hens died, Collector Deepak Muglikar told PTI.

The samples were sent to National Institute of Virology in Pune, and National Institute of High Security Animal Disease in Bhopal.

Also Read | Delhi, Maharashtra among 9 states with bird flu

“The samples from Parbhani were sent to Bhopal and the news is not good,” Sunil Kedar, Minister for Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Youth Welfare, Sports said.

Earlier other states like Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have confirmed a Bird Flu outbreak.

In Maharashtra, while confirmed cases are limited to five districts, there were several confirmed and unconfirmed reports from various places of dead birds being spotted.

More than 2,000 birds have died in the state in two to three days, according to reports reaching Mumbai.

Kedar said that the situation is being reviewed by him and Animal Husbandry department principal secretary Anoop Kumar and Animal Husbandry commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh.

The CZA, under the environment ministry, issued an office memorandum saying avian influenza is a scheduled disease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, and reporting such a disease is obligatory for taking appropriate preventive measures against its spread.

(With PTI inputs)