The Madhya Pradesh government has issued instructions to close poultry shops in Indore and Neemuch, as on Thursday, two samples of poultry tested positive for the fast-spreading avian flu strain. As per claims, this is the first instance of the bird flu strain found in the state. The state government has further directed poultry shops to be shuttered within a 1-km radius of the affected areas in MP for the next 7 days and such establishments within a 10-km circumference, are being monitored for the signs of the flu.
Samples of migratory birds from adjacent water bodies to be tested
On Wednesday, the district administrations of Indore and Neemuch had sent out samples of poultry to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal and the next day, those samples tested positive for the virus. NIHSAD had confirmed the presence of bird flu infection in the samples of crows from Indore, Neemuch, Dewas, Ujjain, Khandwa, Khargone and Guna districts.
According to the officials, the Health Department will be testing all owners and employees of these poultry shops and farms and provisions are being chalked out for the door-to-door screening of residents in these areas as well. In accordance to the instructions by the authorities, samples of migratory birds from adjacent water bodies will be sent to Bhopal for extensive testing. The state CM has even banned the shipment of chickens from Kerala and other southern states, for the next 10 days, reportedly.
As yet, cases of bird flu have been confirmed in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh but all the other states too, should be prepared enough to face this scenario. The affected states have been strongly advised to strengthen the biosecurity protocols, sanitize the infected areas and properly dispose of the cadavers of the animals and birds, in an effort to arrest the flu.
In an official release, it has been stated that the state government has set up a central control room at State Disease Investigation Lab of Animal Husbandry department, at Bhopal and they can be reached at 0755-2767583. Simultaneously, another state-level control room has been formed in the Directorate of Animal Husbandry department and anyone can contact them at 0755-2270279.
