Bird flu scare: Poultry birds on surveillance in Chandigarh

In the wake of bird flu scare, Chandigarh administration has begun surveillance on poultry birds within 10 km radius of the city even as fumigation and sanitation operations continued in and around Sukhna lake.
"We have put all poultry birds on surveillance within the 10 km radius of the city to keep a tab (in the wake of bird flu scare)," Chandigarh Animal Husbandry department Joint Director Lovelesh Kant Gupta said here today.
Under the surveillance exercise, authorities will be taking random sample of poultry birds to check whether they are infected with avian influenza.
"The blood and other samples of these birds will be then sent to laboratory (Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory) in Jalandhar for examination," he said.

The surveillance will be mainly restricted to organised poultry and backyard poultry.
Amid reports suggesting a goose was sighted in and around the Sukhna lake despite culling more than 100 geese on December 18, Chandigarh administration has asked forest and wildlife department to find out whether it was a goose or a migratory bird.

"Instructions have been issued to range officer to cull the bird if it is goose and if it is a migratory bird then put it under observation," officials said.
After a sample of geese from Sukhna lake here tested positive for bird flu, authorities culled 110 geese on December 18 on the island in the middle of the lake.

The entire culling operation which went on till midnight, was carried out as a precautionary measure to prevent any outbreak of the bird flu in the city and adjoining areas.