Thousands of poultry deaths reported in Odisha district amid fears of bird flu
Veterinary department officials in Puri said over the past several days, several poultry farms in the district have reported an unusual number of deaths amid concerns of a bird flu outbreak.
'The deaths have been reported mostly from several villages of Delang area. Though poultry farm owners claim the deaths to be due to avian influenza, we are yet to get a confirmation. We have sent samples of chicken droppings and blood to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease, Bhopal for confirmation,' Puri district chief veterinary officer Dr Sarat Kumar Behera.
Officials said thousands of chicken deaths have been reported in villages like Amula, Sishuapada, Gediput, Matiapada, Beguniapada, Singhabrahmapur, Tinpur and Gadmotata of Delang block. District Chicken Farmers Development Forum advisor Ashok Pradhan said the government should provide assistance to the affected chicken farmers.
In February this year, an outbreak of bird flu or avian influenza was reported from Pipili area of Puri prompting the authorities to cull more than 11,700 chickens after detecting the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Avian influenza, commonly called 'bird flu', is a viral infection that spreads in birds but can sometimes spread to humans.
Avian influenza A virus subtype H5N1 Influenza A(H5N1) is the most common cause of bird flu in humans. However, recently, bird flu in humans has been found due to H7N7 and H7N9 strains of the influenza.
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