Bird flu confirmed in Chhattisgarh; total affected states 11 so far

The Centre on Friday said bird flu or avian influenza outbreak has been confirmed in Chhattisgarh, taking the total number of affected states and UTs to 11 so far.

Besides Chhattisgarh, the disease has been confirmed in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat.

Bird flu in poultry has been confirmed from G S poultry farm, Balod district of Chhattisgarh, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying said in a statement.

"Altogether, 11 states in the country have been affected by avian influenza," it added.

Bird flu in poultry has also been confirmed from Harda district of Madhya Pradesh on Friday, it said.

Moreover, the disease has been confirmed in wild birds (crows and pigeons) in Burhanpur, Rajgarh, Dindori, Chhindwara, Mandla, Harda, Dhar, Sagar and Satna districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The viral infection has also been confirmed in crows and kites in Dehradun district of Uttarakhand; crows in Rohini area of Delhi as well as in duck and Black Stork in Jaipur Zoo, Rajasthan, it added.

The Secretary in Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying held a virtual meeting with states' chief secretaries and said bird flu is not new to the country but has been reported every year since 2006.

The country has been effectively controlling the disease. It was reiterated that the virus gets destroyed easily at 70 degrees Centigrade and therefore, properly cooked poultry and poultry products are safe for human consumption.

"Accordingly, states have been requested to instruct the authorities concerned not to impose ban and allow selling of poultry and poultry products sourced from avian influenza-free areas/states," it noted.

Further, the ministry said steps to make the general public aware about the disease are being undertaken.

Also, efforts to remove misinformation about avian influenza among the people are underway, it added.