Bird Flu outbreak reports in Telangana

A red alert was cautioned by the Telangana government after the highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu virus broke out in Ranga Reddy district. The Telangana Government initiated a action to cull over 2 Lakh birds within 10 km radius along with ban on sale of eggs and poultry in Hayathnagar which is the main town in the Ranga Reddy District.

The State Government has set up rapid response teams to help in the culling process and has issued an advisory to Andhra Pradesh as well to report any incident of dead poultry, officials said, as fears of the virus, spreading rose.

K Vamsi Krishna Reddy, assistant veterinary surgeon said that safety precautions are being laid as per the protocol along with procuring Gunny sucks and pits being dug up.

The local veterinary doctor raised an alarm after he found hundreds of birds dead in the poultry farm about a week ago in Thorur village in Hayathnagar, following which dead samples were sent to a testing laboratory in Bhopal.

Around 209 human deaths have been caused globally since 2003 due to the H5N1 strain and 340 people have been infected.