Affected areas being sanitised to stop bird flu spread in city

Patna: With bird flu cases emerging in new areas of the state, the Patna district animal husbandry department is adhering to central govt protocols and regularly sanitising affected areas to prevent the spread of the H5N1 virus responsible for the outbreak.

Patna district animal husbandry officer Dr Arun Kumar said on Monday that after culling all poultry within a 1km radius of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Patna on Saturday, the department was strictly following established guidelines to prevent further spread. Bird flu cases had been confirmed on the ICAR campus a few days earlier.

"As per govt protocol, all poultry – whether govt or private – within 1km of the infection site must be culled immediately. This was done on Saturday and now no birds or poultry will be allowed to be reared in or around the infected area for the next three months," said Kumar.

He added that sanitisation would be carried out weekly or fortnightly in the infected area for the next few months with a 10-11km radius under surveillance for another three months to monitor the spread of infection. "Surveillance means we will collect fowl samples fortnightly for testing and take further action based on the results," he said.

Dr Pankaj Kumar, principal investigator on poultry at the veterinary dispensary of Bihar Animal Sciences University, Patna, stressed the importance of awareness among stakeholders to prevent panic. "Just by adopting a few safety measures, such as banning outsider entry and ensuring staff change their clothes before entering farms, poultry farmers can control the spread," he said.

He also stressed the need for regular fumigation and sanitisation of farm premises, along with trimming long trees in and around farms to deter wild birds. "Crows are primarily responsible for spreading the disease among poultry. Hence, contact must be avoided," he added.


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