Bird Flu Advisory

Symptoms of Bird Flu What is Bird Flu?

Bird flu, also known as avian
influenza, is a viral infection that
leads to severe respiratory
disease among birds. However, it
can infect humans and other
animals as well. H5N1 is the most
Cough Fever Nausea Headache common strain of bird flu. It can
be contracted by humans and
other animals through contact
with a carrier. Currently, the virus
is not known to spread via
human-to-human contact.
According to the World Health
Muscle Sore Shortness Vomiting, Organization, H5N1 was first
Aches Throat of Breath or Diarrhea discovered in humans in 1997 and
has killed nearly 60 percent of
In rare cases, people also suffer from a mild eye infection those infected.
(conjunctivitis)
States Impacted
Avian flu has been confirmed in 10 states of the country by the central government. So far, bird flu has been
confirmed in the states of Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar
Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra. Directions have been given to enforce culling in sick birds as
per the government's 2015 National Avian Influenza Plan.
Rajasthan
Impact:
• 3321 birds have died in 15 districts of the state so
far, 2551 of which are crows.
• The samples confirmed the presence of H5N8
strain of the flu.
• No poultry bird deaths have been reported in
the state due to avian flu so far.
Response:
• Each district will have a control room and PPE
kits will be provided to teams that are disposing
off the dead birds. Rapid response teams have
also been constituted.
• The Ram Niwas Garden Zoo in Jaipur was closed
on Monday (11 January) till further orders.
Delhi
Impact:
• Bird flu was confirmed in the national capital on
Monday morning (11 January).
• More than 140 birds, mostly crows, have been
found dead across locations in Delhi over the
past four days.
Response:
• Ghazipur poultry market closed for the next 10
days. A 24-hour helpline has been set up in the
capital.
• Rapid response teams have been formed in
every district which will function under district
magistrates.
• Surveys are being conducted in all bird markets,
wildlife establishments and water bodies across
Delhi, particularly in poultry markets of
Ghazipur, Shakti Sthal Lake, Bhalswa Lake,
Sanjay Lake, Delhi Zoo, DDA Parks, situated at
Hauz Khas village, Pashchim Vihar and Dwarka.
• Hauz Khas Park, Dwarka Sector 9 Park, Hastsal
Park and Sanjay Lake closed in Delhi.
• The Delhi government has banned packed and
processed chicken brought from outside the
city.
• Culling of live birds was immediately initiated
from 0800h on Monday (11 January) in Sanjay
Lake Park in Mayur Vihar Phase 2.
• More parks are likely to be shut in the Capital.
Himachal Pradesh
Impact:
• Bird flu virus H5N1 has killed around 3,410
migratory birds so far in Kangra district.
• 1,000 dead poultry birds were found dumped in
Dharampur in Solan district
Response:
• A complete ban imposed on the sale, purchase
and export of any poultry products, including
eggs, birds and meat, and fish in or from the
affected areas.
• A control room has been set up in Indore and all
districts of Madhya Pradesh have been asked to
report any suspicious case of bird flu to the
authorities.
• Sixty-five rapid response teams were regularly
monitoring the Pong wetland and adjoining
areas.
Madhya Pradesh
Impact:
• Bird flu has been detected in 18 of the 52 districts
of the state as of Monday (11 January). Around 41
districts in the state have reported 1500 deaths
of crows and other birds so far.
• Bird flu has been detected in 18 districts—Indore,
Mandsaur, Agar, Neemuch, Dewas, Ujjain,
Khandwa, Khargone, Guna, Shivpuri, Rajgarh,
Shajapur, Vidisha, Bhopal, Hoshangabad, Ashok
Nagar, Datia and Badwani.
Response:
• Shops within a radius of 1 kilometer in Indore and
Neemuch have been sealed and sanitized.
• Surveillance in a 10-kilometer radius is also being
carried out.
• The State has banned chicken trade with
southern states for the next 10 days.
• The Mandsaur authorities in Madhya Pradesh
have ordered shops selling chicken and eggs to
remain closed for 15 days.
• 600 poultry birds have been culled as part of the
efforts to stop the spread of avian influenza.
Kerala
Impact:
• In Kerala, the flu has been confirmed in the two
districts of Kottayam and Alappuzha.
• Bird flu declared as a state disaster and a high
alert has been issued in the region.
• 25,000 odd birds have died due to the bird flu
outbreak in Kerala.
Response:
• Ban on the sale and use of poultry meat and
other related products in the regions where bird
flu deaths have been detected.
• 50,935 birds have been culled to stop the spread
of bird flu.
Maharashtra
Impact: Bird flu has been confirmed as the cause of
death of around 900 hens in the last few days at a
poultry farm in Maharashtra's Parbhani district on
11 January. Crows and herons from Mumbai,
Ghodbunder in Thane, and Dapoli in Ratnagiri have
been found positive for the H5N1 strain while
samples from Beed district have been found
positive for the H5N8 strain.
Response:
• The district administration has decided to cull
around 8000 birds within one-kilometer radius
of Murumba village where these hens have died.
The authorities have also created a 10-kilometer
prohibitory zone from the area where the
incident took place.
• Veer Mata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan And Zoo
(Byculla zoo) in Mumbai have been put on high
alert to ensure none of the birds inside the
premises get infected.
Tamil Nadu
Impact: Tamil Nadu has stepped up surveillance
and formed guidelines following the outbreak of
the viral infection in neighboring Kerala.
Response:
• Vehicles carrying poultry and poultry products
including ducks, turkeys and quails from Kerala
are restricted from entering Tamil Nadu.
• A total of 1,061 rapid response teams were kept
ready and will act if any outbreak of bird flu is
notified in the state.
Haryana
Impact:
• 4.37 lakh birds have died of bird flu in Barwala,
with Kheri and Ghanauli as the two epicenters of
the outbreak.
• Ten crows died in Haryana's Jind district on
Wednesday (06 January). Since 05 December,
hundreds of poultry birds have died in Raipur
Rani. However, the officials are awaiting the lab
reports from Jalandhar.
Response:
• Drive to cull 1.60 lakh poultry birds commenced
in five farms in Panchkula district on Saturday
(09 January).
• Area within a kilometer of the two epicenters of
Kheri and Ganauli villages declared as infected
zones and and area of 1-10 kilometer as
surveillance zones.
• Four schools in Raipur Rani have been
designated as quarantine facilities for 12 rapid
response teams involved in culling.
• Health department administered 500 doses of
Tamiflu in Barwala as precautionary measure.
Gujarat
Impact: On 11 January, bird flu has been reported
from Junagadh, Vadodara, Surat and Valsad
districts. Nearly 53 dead birds were found in the
Batwa area of Manavdar tehsil in the Junagarh
district on 03 January in Gujarat. The carcasses
have been sent for post-mortem.
Response:
• Forest and wildlife officials in the state's
Junagarh district are on alert after carcasses of
birds were found.
• Four bird sanctuaries closed in Gujarat to
contain bird flu.
• Standard Operating Procedure (S.O.P.)
guidelines have been issued to the
administration on 11 January to take special care
of the health officers and employees, besides
volunteers of NGOS, engaged in saving and
treating birds.
• Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Vadodara and Surat are to
provide necessary gears and kits to their
employees engaged in the campaign in all
wards.
Uttarakhand
Impact:
• A high alert has been issued across Uttarakhand
with the samples of two dead crows testing
positive for bird flu in the state.
• Nearly 300 birds have been found dead in
different parts of Uttarakhand including
Dehradun, Rishikesh and Kotdwar so far.
• No deaths among poultry have been reported.
• Five crows found dead in Sitabpur in Pauri
Garhwal district. Samples have been sent to a
Bhopal laboratory for testing.
Response:
• Vigilance increased in Asan Conservation
Reserve, Jhilmil Lake, Nanak Sagar dam and
other water bodies and barrages.
• Rapid response teams constituted at block level
in Udham Singh Nagar to check poultry farms.
• State level and district level committees have
been set up on Tuesday (12 January) to check
the spread of avian influenza as per the
guidelines and SOPs issued by the Centre.
Jammu & Kashmir
Impact:
• With spread of bird flu in neighboring states,
J&K has been declared as a 'controlled area' for
bird flu disease.
• No deaths in birds were reported from the
Hokersar wetland, the largest and most
prominent of wetlands in Kashmir.
Response:
• Jammu & Kashmir on Thursday (07 January)
banned the import of poultry until 14 January.
• A squad of experts from the Institute of Animal
Health and Biological Products (IAH&BP),
Zakura of Animal Husbandry Department,
Kashmir in coordination with the Wildlife
Protection Department, Kashmir on Monday (11
January) visited Hokersar wetland to set in
motion a sustained surveillance and Monitoring
for Bird Flu.
• The team collected 21 samples in accordance
with the laid down guidelines and SOPs for
Avian Influenza which will be sent to Jalandhar
for testing
Karnataka
Impact:
• Six crows have died in the border district of
Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka and their
samples had been sent for tests to ascertain the
cause of death.
• Three crows were found dead near Pachanady in
Vamanjoor on the outskirts of Mangalore on
Monday (11 January).
Response:
• On Thursday (07 January) border districts were
put on high alert. A strict vigil to be kept in
border districts such as Dakshina Kannada,
Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar.
• Samples of crows from Mangalore have been
sent to labs for testing.
Nagaland
Impact: No deaths have been reported from the
state so far.
Response:
• The Directorate of Animal Husbandry and
Veterinary Services (DoAH&VS) Nagaland on 07
January issued an advisory for preparedness,
control and containment.
• The Directorate has also advised all Chief
Veterinary Officers (CVOs) to issue Red Alert
notice to all Subordinate Officer, Field Officers,
Staff and Village Functionaries on the ingress of
the disease in the country.
Odisha
Impact: Authorities have confirmed that no case of
avian influenza has been detected in the State so
far.
Response:
• State government has intensified surveillance by
continuous checking and disinfection of poultry
farms across the State.
• Five teams have been formed in Bhubaneswar
M u n i c i p a l C o r p o ra t i o n ( B M C ) a re a f o r
surveillance of the poultry shops and nearby
farms.
• The walk-through aviary of the Nandankanan
Zoological Park (NZP) has been closed to
visitors from 11 January until further orders.
Uttar Pradesh
Impact:
• Two red jungle fowls that died recently at
Kanpur zoo and as many as 51 crows and nine
pigeons were found dead in the Kanpur.
• Local authorities have sent four carcasses to the
Bhopal lab for ascertaining the cause of their
death.
Response:
• Noida: Gautam Budh Nagar administration in
Noida on Monday (11 January) stated that it is
keeping an eye on the small chicken shops and
has sensitised the only two large poultries in the
district.
• Kanpur: Kanpur zoo has been shut for 15 days
after samples of fowls tested positive. Process of
disinfecting all poultry farms in Kanpur has been
initiated. Teams have also been set up to inspect
meat shops.
• G u r u g r a m : Th e D e p a r t m e n t o f A n i m a l
Husbandry, and Wildlife and health authorities
on high alert after 11 crows found dead in two
consecutive days.
Goa
Impact: No deaths by Avian influenza have been
reported in Goa so far.
Response: Authorities have decided to prohibit
the entry of live poultry and other birds from
Karnataka and Maharashtra as a precautionary
measure.
Jharkhand
Impact: Carcasses of crows and Indian myna at
Pokharia village in Shikaripara block of Dumka
district, around 310 km north east of capital
Ranchi.
Response: The carcasses have been sent for
testing. Meanwhile, poultry products coming from
other districts and neighbouring Bengal are being
strictly monitored.
Telangana
Impact: No cases of bird flu have been reported in
the state so far.
Response: Telangana Chief Minister will hold a
meeting with ministers on Tuesday (12 January) to
discuss the preventive measures to be adopted.
Meghalaya
Impact: No deaths have been reported from the
state so far.
Response: An advisory was issued on Thursday
(07 January) and government alerted all districts
authorities to report any unusual death of poultry
and migratory birds. So far, import of poultry in the
state has not been banned.
Tripura
Impact: No deaths caused by bird flu have been
reported in Tripura so far.
Response:
• Authorities are keeping vigil on the movement
of poultry birds through the entry point
Churaibari at the Tripura-Assam border, besides
maintaining strict vigil across the Tripura-
Bangladesh international border.
• An emergency helpline has been set up by the
ARDD and officials are collecting samples
across the state to test for the disease.
Assam
Impact: No deaths have been reported from
Assam so far
Response: The Assam government has
temporarily banned the import of poultry in view
of the outbreak of Avian Influenza in many states
across the country.
Impact Analysis
1. As part of containment strategy measures, 'Alerts Zones' are being implemented in cities
where a large number of dead birds are discovered.
2. The Avian influenza has caused concern both within and amongst States, hampering inter-
State trade of poultry products.
3. This has led to a drastic decrease in demand for poultry products, while substitute products
have seen an increase in demand.
4. All State Animal Husbandry departments have been put on alert in response to the
outbreak.
5. Due to the various strains that the Avian influenza presents itself in, States have been asked
to take extra precautionary measures to detect human transmission.
6. Primary areas of concern include zoological parks and adjoining areas where birds are found
in large numbers. Corporate offices/campuses in close vicinity could be subject to
surveillance.
7. Corporate offices/campuses where mess/canteen services are functional could be impacted
and are advised to adopt best cooking practices in order to avoid any incidents of
transmission.

Preventive Measures (Do's and Don'ts) / Recommendations

Things to Avoid Thing to Do
1. Half-boiled eggs and undercooked chicken. 1. Wash hands more frequently.
2. Direct contact with birds. 2. Maintain personal hygiene and cleanliness of
3. Keeping raw meat in open. your surroundings.
4. Direct contact with raw meat. 3. Use mask and gloves when dealing with raw
5. Visit to poultry farms, bird markets and places chicken or chicken products.
where they are kept, raised and sold. 4. Eat only completely cooked meat and meat
products i.e at 100 degrees Celsius.

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