Representational Image l Photo: Jayesh/ Mathrubhumi
Kottayam: Bird flu outbreak was confirmed at Arpookkara and Thalayazham panchayats in Kottayam district, informed the district collector Dr PK Jayasree. The collector directed to cull over 8,000 domestic birds within one kilometre radius of the affected region under the supervision of the Animal Husbandry department and to disinfect the area.
An order has been released to curtail the sales and transportation of the eggs, meat and excrements of hens, ducks, quails and other domestic birds within the ten kilometre radius from the epicentre of the disease for three days from Wednesday. The collector also urged the public to inform the local governing bodies of unusual deaths of domestic birds found in this region.
The local self governing bodies of Kottayam, Vaikom, Ettumanoor municipalities; Vechur, Kuruppanthara, Thalayazham, Thalayolaparambu, Kallara, Neendoor, TV Puram, Kaduthuruthy, Udayanapuram, Kumarakom, Arpookkara, Aymanam, Athirampuzha and Thiruvarppu panchayats fall under the 10 km surveillance zone.
The H5N1 variant which can affect all varieties of bird species has been reported in Kottayam. This flu usually spreads via migratory birds or seabirds. Though this virus will not affect human beings, the authorities have directed the public to remain cautious.
The samples were collected and tested when several birds in a duck farm and a broiler chicken farm died in Arpookara and Thalayazham respectively. The disease has been confirmed in the tests conducted at a lab in the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.
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