Poultry deaths in Chittoor raise alarm among farmers

Visakhapatnam: Nearly 4,000 country chickens have died in poultry farms across Ammagaripalle, Kambamvaripalle, and Puttavaripalle villages of Sodam mandal, Chittoor district, sparking anxiety in the poultry sector. Though the deaths were confined to country chickens, rumours of bird flu have unsettled broiler and layer farm owners, raising fears of economic fallout. Laboratory tests in Vijayawada confirmed coryza and Ranikhet diseases in the samples.District animal husbandry officer D Uma Maheswari said some samples tested positive for Ranikhet disease while others confirmed coryza, locally known as Kokkera disease. She added that samples have been sent to Bhopal for further confirmation, urging farmers not to panic though concerns are valid given the potential losses.Experts explained that poultry diseases vary in severity: coryza is a bacterial infection with low mortality, Ranikhet (Newcastle) is viral and can cause mortality up to 100% depending on strain, while bird flu (avian influenza) is the gravest threat, often killing 80–100% of birds within days.Concerns are heightened as Andhra Pradesh has already recorded several bird flu outbreaks in 2025, affecting over 5.4 lakh birds and leaving 6.02 lakh more susceptible across West Godavari, East Godavari, Krishna, and Kurnool districts.