Maharashtra: No Bird Flu Case Detected; Egg, Meat-Eating Citizens Should Not Panic – Animal Husbandry Department

Friyana Munshi

Pune, January 5, 2021: No bird flu infection has been detected in wild and migratory birds, crows, or hens in the state and no deaths have been reported from this disease. Therefore, poultry, eggs, and meat-eating non-vegetarians are not to be feared. The Department of Animal Husbandry has also appealed to the nearest veterinary clinic to immediately contact the migratory wild birds, crows, backyard hens, and commercial poultry farms.

Outbreaks of bird flu have been reported in migratory birds in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala. A duck with two stripes on its head has been found dead in the Pong Dam area of Kangra district in Himachal Pradesh, migrating from Siberia and Mongolia. NISHAD (National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal) has diagnosed the H5N1 strain of bird flu as the cause of death. The Forest Department of the State of Himachal Pradesh has undertaken a large scale survey of the mentioned disease. Crows have also been found dead in Jhalwar and Jodhpur districts of Rajasthan and Indore districts of Madhya Pradesh. The H5N8 strain of bird flu has been diagnosed as the cause of death by the NISHAD Institute.

The Bird Flu Survey Program is conducted annually by the State Department of Animal Husbandry. Under this program, samples of bird fluids, faeces, and blood samples from different districts of the state are collected for testing. These are examined in the Western Divisional Diagnostic Laboratory, Pune, and the top veterinary laboratory for 5 states. In the year 2020-21, the institute has tested a total of 1715 faecal samples, 1913 blood samples, 1549 throat fluid samples in the state using advanced technology like RTPCR and ELISA. At the end of the test, all the above samples were found to be negative for bird flu.

The Commissionerate of Animal Husbandry has issued necessary guidelines for conducting more intensive bird flu surveys in migratory wild birds, crows, backyard hens, and commercial poultry rearing sites. The state has not been found to be infected with bird flu in wild and migratory birds, crows, or hens, nor has it been found to be fatal. Therefore, poultry, eggs, and meat-eating non-vegetarians are not to be feared. The Department of Animal Husbandry has also appealed to the nearest veterinary clinic to immediately contact the migratory wild birds, crows, backyard hens, and commercial poultry farms.