Bird flu alert in Telangana

Human consumption of poultry meat or eggs will not usually lead to any infection in human beings as the bird flu virus will be killed at a temperature of 70 degrees centigrade when it is cooked for over 20 minutes. As such, there is no need for public to stop consumption of chicken and eggs – D Venkateswarulu, Director (Animal Husbandry)

Hyderabad: The State government has sounded high alert in Telangana following confirmation of prevalence of bird flu also known as avian influenza or H5N1 virus. Several cases of bird flu were detected in Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy districts on Tuesday, confirmed the Animal Husbandry department which asked officials to take up prevent measures on a war footing to stop the spread of the virus. Samples were sent last week to National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, which confirmed the H5N1 virus in them.

• Culling of over two lakh birds begins
• Affected farms located in Hyderabad, RR dists

The department has identified over poultry farms with over 2 lakh birds in and around Torrur and started culling them. Similar out break had taken place in the undivided Andhra Pradesh in 2006. According to D Venkateswarulu, the Director (Animal Husbandry), poultry farms in 18 villages have been put under surveillance zone. “There is absolutely no need to worry. We are going to destroy all the infected birds," he said.

The news has rattled the poultry industry in Telangana. Also, trading of eggs from poultry farms in around 18 villages around Torrur in Ranga Reddy district has been stopped. Disinfection and sanitation measures are being taken up. The industry is worried that the outbreak would impact sales and result in fall of prices. Venkateswarlu said that the control and mitigation programme has already started and all the birds within a radius of 1 km of Torrur village will be culled. Also, trading of eggs from the poultry farms of these 18 villages has been stopped.

The Director said: “Human consumption of poultry meat or eggs will not usually lead to any infection in human beings as the bird flu virus will be killed at a temperature of 70 degrees centigrade when it is cooked for over 20 minutes. As such, there is no need for public to stop consumption of chicken and eggs,” he said. He informed that the government had also taken up an epidemiological study to assess the role of atmosphere in the outbreak and spread of the bird flu in the state.

He, however, clarified that the poultry farm affected by bird flu has only layers and not broilers. Layers are farmed only for eggs, while broilers are grown for their meat. Rapid Response teams have been deployed and culling of affected birds, he added. It all started when a poultry farmer named Balakrishna Reddy identified death of birds starting on April 8. Four days later on Sunday, the serum samples of dead birds were sent to Bhopal-based government laboratory for tests.

The Bhopal-based National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases found the bird flu virus in the samples on Monday and informed the same to the poultry farmer and the state animal husbandry department. Of the ten samples sent, five turned positive for bird flu. State Health and Medical department has also been pressed into service and Ranga Reddy District Collector Raghunandan Rao reviewed the control measures with officials of all line departments.