Rajamahendravaram: The bird flu outbreak in East Godavari district has worsened with officials confirming that lakhs of chickens have died over the past four days. Poultry farmers are struggling as the number of deaths continues to rise each day, while consumers across the district are growing increasingly concerned about the safety of chicken products.

The outbreak was first detected in a poultry farm in Kanuru Agraharam of Peravali mandal in Nidadavole constituency. Reports indicate that the virus affected three poultry farms, where nearly 62,000 out of 64,000 chickens have already died. Officials had been alerted about unusual chicken deaths in the area as early as January 1. In response, 83 samples were sent to the National High-Security Disease Diagnosis Laboratory in Bhopal for confirmation.

Despite the spread of bird flu over the past ten days, authorities and poultry farmers have been criticized for not acting swiftly.

The district administration has now taken the situation seriously, with reports suggesting that show-cause notices will be issued to negligent officials.

In effort to contain the virus, all the chicken shops in the district have been ordered to shut down. Poultry transportation has been completely restricted within a 10-km radius of Kanuru Agraharam. Authorities have also directed the culling of all birds within a one-km radius of the affected area, with disposal measures ensuring 1,800 birds are buried per pit. The distribution of eggs to Anganwadi centres has been suspended for a week, according to District Women & Child Welfare Officer K Vijayakumari.

A door-to-door health survey will be conducted within a 10-km radius to check for any bird flu symptoms among the local population. There are approximately 250 poultry farms in East Godavari, housing around 2.5 crore chickens.

District Animal Husbandry Officer Srinivas has warned that bird flu can spread from poultry to humans, urging people to take necessary precautions.

District Collector P Prasanthi has advised the public to refrain from consuming chicken and eggs for now. She asked the officials to monitor the situation. A command control room has been set up at Collectorate here with Dr Bharat available for assistance on phone No 95429 08025.