Poultry stock culled after bird flu outbreak in Annamayya district

Vijayawada: A total of 3,472 poultry birds — including 1,792 in Puttavaripalli and 1,680 in Ammagaripalli of Sodam mandal, Annamayya district — were culled by the Animal Husbandry department after lab reports confirmed a bird flu outbreak in parts of the district. "While the lab reports confirmed the presence of bird flu in the poultry samples tested in Ammagaripalli and Puttavaripalli villages in Sodam mandal, samples from Kambavaripalli village in Sodam mandal, along with Karvetinagaram mandal in Chittoor district, were collected and sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, for testing after fresh poultry mortalities emerged in Kambavaripalli village in Sodam mandal. The test results are expected to arrive on Tuesday," an Animal Husbandry department official told TOI.Containment measures, including red-zone restrictions, will be imposed once reports arrive, said animal husbandry department officials. Meanwhile, the department personnel visited the Karvetinagaram poultry farms and guided farmers and field staff on disease control and biosecurity protocols.Animal husbandry minister K Atchannaidu said the govt completed culling operations at two poultry farm sheds where bird flu was detected on Sunday, with comprehensive containment measures in place to prevent the disease spreading across the state. Strict containment and surveillance measures were put in place not only in the affected villages but also in surrounding areas as a precautionary step, he said.Atchannaidu said consumption of chicken and eggs is completely safe, with no risk to public health. He advised farmers to strictly adhere to prescribed biosecurity measures to prevent any recurrence of the disease.