Hyderabad: In a concerning incident, the deadly bird flu virus has been detected in a large poultry farm in Apur, Chityala mandal, Nalgonda district. The outbreak, which affected a farm with a capacity of over 2,00,000 egg-laying hens, came to light on Saturday after hundreds of chickens died over the past four days. Following reports of unusual deaths, veterinary officials conducted inspections and sent samples for lab testing, confirming the presence of bird flu.

Dr Amarender, the Veterinary Officer from the Urumadla Animal Husbandry Centre, supervised the farm and recommended the immediate culling of the remaining chickens to prevent further spread. Despite initial advice, the farm management delayed the burial process.

Eventually, senior veterinary officials, including Dr. Ramesh, the Joint Director of the Animal Husbandry Department, ensured the proper disposal of the infected birds by following biosecurity measures.

The farm was declared a bird flu-affected zone, extending up to a 3 km radius.

Approximately 40 workers were employed at the farm, and immediate health check-ups were conducted under the supervision of Dr. U. Narasimha from the Veliminedu PHC.

Fortunately, no symptoms of infection were detected among the workers, and their health remains stable.

However, concerns have arisen over the lack of timely information from the veterinary department. Despite confirming the outbreak March 19, officials chose to keep it confidential. Residents of nearby villages, including four within the designated affected zone, were not informed, raising questions about public safety management.

Authorities have now intensified sanitization efforts, destroyed contaminated poultry feed, and mandated strict monitoring within the affected zone to control the spread.