Karnataka issued a high alert for four districts bordering Kerala in the wake of avian influenza outbreak in the neighbouring state. The deputy commissioners were sent a general alert and Dakshina Kannada, Mysuru, Madikeri and Udupi were put on high alert after Kerala declared avian influenza a state disaster. Karnataka has already dealt with an episode of bird flu in Mysuru last year.
The Principal Secretary of Horticulture Department Rajender Kumar Kataria who also holds additional charge of the Animal Husbandry Department said officials have been told to monitor the movement of poultry in the border districts. He also added that the Union government has issued specific protocols and they are issuing guidelines based on them. The protocols state measures to observe personal safety, including wearing of protective gear, disinfecting the surfaces and administration of the antiviral drugs Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or Zanamivir (Relenza) if symptoms upon experiencing symptoms. It also gave guidelines of handling of birds, including the wild and migratory birds, besides poultry.
The Hakki Habba, a bird-watching festival, kick-started on Tuesday at Mysuru amid reports of bird flu. Surveillance has reportedly been increased and the birds are being monitored, said the organizers.s
The avian influenza (H5N8) was first detected in Kerala among ducks in the Kuttanad region. Culling of the poultry began in the state on Tuesday within a one-km radius of the infected region. According to the officials, the rapid response teams had culled more than 21,000 birds, mostly ducks, at Nedumudi, Thakazhi, Pallippad and Karuvatta in Alappuzha district and Neendoor in Kottayam district. Both the districts have been put under alert.
Tamil Nadu has also alerted its animal husbandry and forest departments as fears of the bird flu spreading grew.
In Haryana, the “unusual” deaths of four lakh poultry birds were reported in the past 10 days, but there is no confirmation that avian influenza caused these deaths. As many as 2,000 migratory birds were also found dead in Himachal Pradesh, and several hundred birds in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there is a low chance for humans to be infected by avian influenza. A 2016 report stated that no human cases of infection has been detected.