Bird flu outbreak confirmed in Kerala’s Alappuzha and Kottayam districts

In a major blow to poultry farmers ahead of the Christmas-New Year season, authorities have confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts of Kerala.

According to officials with the Department of Animal Husbandry, the presence of the virus was confirmed in tests conducted at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal. The infection has been confirmed in one ward each of eight panchayats in Alappuzha and in four villages in Kottayam.

In Alappuzha district, cases have been reported from the panchayats of Nedumudi, Cheruthana, Karuvatta, Karthikappally, Ambalappuzha South, Punnapra South, Thakazhi and Purakkad. Chickens were found to be infected in Nedumudi, while ducks were affected in the remaining areas.

In Kottayam, the disease has been detected in the villages of Kuruppanthara, Manjoor, Kallupurakkal and Velur. Quails and chickens were among the birds found to be infected.

Culling soon

An emergency meeting will be convened to kickstart culling of all domestic birds, including ducks, in the 1-km radius of the locations where the disease has been confirmed. Preventive measures, including culling of birds, will be done as per the revised guidelines of the Central government issued in 2021, officials said.

A ban on the movement of poultry, including ducks, chicken, quail and other domestic bird, too will be declared in the 10-km radius of the affected areas.

The authorities, meanwhile, have been tasked with monitoring the situation in local bodies surrounding the affected areas.

Unlike modern poultry farming methods, which rear birds indoors, duck farmers in the villages of Kuttanad continue to rear ducks in the open, making the birds vulnerable to diseases such as avian influenza, officials added.