Bird flu in Kerala: Central team directs officials to keep strict vigilance for three months

ALAPPUZHA: The Central team that visited Alappuzha on Saturday directed the officials to keep strict vigilance for three months in the regions where avian influenza was confirmed in the district.


A second central team visited Alappuzha on Saturday to conduct a study on bird flu(H5N8) out break and health department’s Covid-19 preventive activities in the district. Joint secretary of ministry of food processing industries Minhaj Alam and director, National Centre for Disease Control S K Singh reached the district on Saturday and held discussions with Alappuzha district collector A Alexander and other department heads concerned.

The three-member central team that reached Alappuzha on Thursday also joined with the central team that reached on Saturday in Alappuzha. The three- member team consisted of Union ministry of health and family welfare's public health expert Ruchi Jain, National Institute of Virology, Pune scientist Shailesh Pawar and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, Delhi physician Dr Anith Jindal.

On Saturday, both the teams jointly called at the bird flu affected Karuvatta and Thakazhi areas of the district and collected details from the affected farmers. The farmers Devarajan and Jomon shared the details from the beginning of the disease in December. According to the central team, this time the bird flu has been reported from the same places, which also reported the bird flu in 2016. So, the central team directed the forest department officials concerned to collect the samples from migratory birds and send it for testing purpose.

The central team told the officials concerned to continue their process of sample collecting from the affected regions and sending it for examination. Till date, the rapid response teams of Alappuzha district administration have culled 49,958 birds in tune with the guidelines of the central government. They have also destroyed 322550 eggs collected from the affected areas. They also destroyed 5070 kg food kept for the birds.

The animal husbandry department officials explained the central team about the culling activities within one km of the affected areas-Thakazhi, Karuvatta, Nedumudi and Pallipad and they also showed them pictures of the activities. The collector told the central team that they could successfully complete all the process including sanitation activities by January 8.

The officials concerned also ensured the central team that they will keep strict vigilance in the hotspots of the bird flu for three months. The officials also told the central team that the places, where birds were culled, will be sanitized in a gap of 15 days for three months. The officials also collected standard operating procedures for this purpose from the central team.

The central team also collected the details on Covid- 19 preventive activities from the health department. The health officials informed that the district reported 59,974 Covid-19 positive cases till date. It also told the officials to be more vigilant as the district has opened its tourist destinations. It asked the officials to find vulnerable groups for Covid -19 like tourists, auto rickshaws and taxi drivers and conduct awareness programmes and Covid-19 test for them to save them from the pandemic.

The central team will leave Alappuzha for Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. The main intentions behind the visit of the central team are to study and submit a report on the bird flu spread, the features of the virus and the culling methods in tune with the guidelines of the central government and the Covid-19 preventive activities in the state.


Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here