Dead chickens found on Bihar field triggers bird flu panic

Patna: Dead chickens and crows have triggered panic among the villagers in Bihar amid bird flu outbreaks in several Indian states. Alarmed at the situation, the animal husbandry department teams have swung into action and advised the villagers not to consume birds’ meat for some time as a precautionary measure.

Local villagers went into panic after they saw more than a hundred dead chickens thrown away in an agricultural field and dogs feasting on them in Muzaffarpur district on Friday.

Authorities say the chickens were thrown away by some local poultry farm owners to escape action by the animal husbandry authorities after they died from suspected bird flu or avian influenza.

A team of the animal husbandry department authorities have buried the dead chickens and sanitized the entire areas. They have also warned the villagers against consuming chickens for the next few weeks as a precautionary measure.

“We have collected serum samples from carcases and sent them to the Institute of Animal Health and Production in Patna for test,” Muzaffarpur district animal husbandry officer Dr Sunil Ranjan Singh told the media on Saturday.

Bird flu panic spread to neighbouring West Champaran district as well when around a dozen crows suddenly fell down from the tree branches and died mysteriously. The bird deaths have also been reported from Patna.

“An owl was found dead in a locality of Patna. We have collected samples and sent it to the virology labs for detailed examination,” Patna district animal husbandry officer Dr MA Shabber told the media today.

Prevent infection

In view of the deaths of birds, all the bird sanctuaries and wildlife sanctuaries have been placed on high alert while the Patna zoon administration has intensified safety measures to prevent infection among birds. Birds cages are being regularly sanitized, officials said.

The Bihar government has already sounded state-wide alert after bird flu outbreaks were reported from at least six Indian states. The Animal and Fisheries Resources Department has directed all the district animal husbandry officers across the state to be on extra alert and launch preparations to tackle the situation in the event of its outbreak.

The bird flu outbreak has been reported from six Indian states, such as Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, prompting culling of poultries on a large scale to prevent spread of the disease. Of them, Kerala remained the worst affected. The reports added that the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying has asked other states to keep a vigil on any unusual mortality among birds.