Maharashtra government decided to kill over 25,000 birds in one km radius of inspection hotspots in Thane and Palghar after the cases of avian influenza were detected in several birds.
On Tuesday, February 22, Maharashtra Animal Husbandry minister Sunil Kedar said that labourers working in the infected farms have been isolated.
Bird flu, also known as avian influenza, was detected among birds at a poultry farm in Vasai-Virar region of Palghar district in Maharashtra, officials have confirmed.
This development was confirmed after results of samples sent to National Institute of High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal were received during the late night hours of Friday, February 18.
The results of the samples of poultry, including turkey and quails, from Agashi and Vatar of Vasai Taluka were found positive for H5N1 strain.
Earlier on February 17, nearly 300 chickens died abruptly at a poultry farm in Maharashtra’s Thane district’s Shahapur tehsil in the Vehloli village. These samples were sent to a Pune-based laboratory for test and the results confirmed that they died due to H5N1 avian influenza.
Moreover, owing to the said incident, over 10 lakh birds were culled back then. Before this, a magnanimous bird flu wave had struck Maharashtra in 2006.
What is Bird Flu?
Avian influenza, an infection which primarily affects birds, can also infect humans. The most common type of bird flu is H5N1 which can be easily contracted by humans and other animals if they come in contact with a carrier of the virus. However, the flu cannot be transmitted from human to human.
Symptoms of Bird Flu
Gastrointestinal signs like nausea, diarrhea and vomiting are major signs in case of A(H5N1) infection. Meanwhile, other common symptoms include cough, fever, headache, diarrhoea, respiratory difficulties, runny nose, sore throat, muscle aches and malaise.
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