Birdflu Epidemic: 17000, birds Culled in Odisha

In a bid to eradicate the bird flu epidemic among the fowls, a team of culling operation has killed 17,000 birds in the very first day in a farm of the Central Poultry Development Organisation (CPDO).

The culling operation kicks off due to the threatening chances of spreading H5N1 virus from birds to human. It is a deadly disease and spreads through eating chickens in human.

Ten rapid response teams (RRT) have been formed to complete the operation in which two team has been employed to cull targeted 29,000 birds in the next two-three days of the government farms while two teams will collect the birds within 3 km radius and remaining teams would do the security operations, official added.

A big pit has been dug to bury the culled birds and elaborate arrangements have been made for disinfecting the area, a senior official in Fisheries and Animal Resources Development department said.

Some members of RRT will also create awareness among people in 29 wards of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The culling operation was launched a day after the state government received an advisory from the Centre to eliminate poultry birds at the CPDO farm and a three km radius area around it.

H5N1 virus was reported at the farm after culling took place at Keranga in Khurda district and Betanati in Mayurbhanj district last month, according to Fisheries and Animal Resources Development Secretary Satyabrata Sahu.

CPDO had sent samples to the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal, which confirmed the detection of bird flu virus, he said.

At least 20 poultry and related product shops have been closed down and sanitisation has been carried out.