THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Bird flu has now been confirmed in the district with blood samples of ducks found dead in Kuttanad testing positive for the virus at the Bhopal lab they were sent to by the animal husbandry department.
Over 10, 000 ducks have died in Kuttanad over the last few weeks. While at first the animal husbandry department thought they had died of duck plague, the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory, Bhopal, has detected the bird flu virus, H5 in the blood samples tested.
It is however not as dangerous as the H5N1 virus, which is most likely to spread to human beings as well.
“Currently only the H5 virus has been detected, but further tests are being conducted.
Though it is not as dangerous as H5N1, it can affect all types of birds including hens, quail, turkey and guinea fowl. Bird handlers must wear protective gear,” warned Dr. V. Brahmanandan, in-charge director of animal husbandry, revealing that the samples were sent on November 21 to the Bhopal lab and the results were received on Monday.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has called a high level meeting of the animal husbandry, health, revenue and forest ministers, secretaries and officials in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday to take stock of the situation and decide on culling all ducks in a one kilometer radius of the affected area in Kuttanad.
Animal husbandry officials have alerted locals in Kuttanad on various modes of killing the ducks and scientifically burying their carcasses, which cannot be left out in the open or abandoned in water to prevent spread of the virus.
Besides Alappuzha, neighbouring districts like Kottayam and Pathanamthitta too have been put on alert.
Meanwhile, the Central animal husbandry department has deputed two senior scientists from the Southern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Bengaluru to take stock of the ground situation in Kuttanad. The Central team headed by Dr. Venkatesh will inspect the affected areas on Tuesday.
As the state has seen similar outbreaks of bird flu over the last few years, the animal husbandry department has a stock of protective gear such as gloves, safety glasses , shoes, earplugs or muffs, hard hats, respirators, overalls, vests and full body suits and has despatched a large number already to Alappuzha.
Another 1000 have been ordered from New Delhi and Bengaluru to deal with the unexpected outbreak.
Kerala State Health Services director , Dr. P. K. Jameela said the drug, Oseltamivir, to control the HINI vrius was being procured from Alappuzha, Kottayam , Pathanamthitta and other districts and would be administered to those responsible for the culling of the affected birds and others who came in contact with them.
As expected, the latest bird flu outbreak has left poultry shopowners worried. Mr R. Harilal, who runs the Lal Poultry at Murinjapalam in Thiruvananthapuram says it is bound to prove a huge setback to his business ahead of the Christmas season.
“Normally we do brisk business for seven months and only reasonable business during the summer holidays. By the time the schools reopen most households begin to tighten their purse strings.
The Easter lent, Sabarimala and Christmas lent seasons are a dull period. But now our poultry sales will fall even in the months when our business is usually good,” he lamented.
