India / After MP, Rajasthan, bird flu confirmed in Kerala as 12,000 ducks die

Bird flu has been confirmed in Kerala's Alappuzha and Kottayam districts and about 12,000 ducks have died of the virus, state Forests Minister K Raju said. "The presence of H5N8 virus has been confirmed," said Raju, adding, "The virus won't spread to humans." This came after bird flu virus was recently found in dead crows in MP and Rajasthan.

Vikrant Shekhawat : Jan 04, 2021, 07:50 PM
Thiruvananthapuram: At this time of coronavirus crisis, the cases of bird flu have been reported in Kerala’s Alappuzha and Kottayam districts. A day before, the bird flu was reported in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Taking preventive measures, the district administration has set up control rooms to monitor the situation.

Making plans, the district administration said all birds within one km radius of the infected region will be culled to avoid further infection. The administration further added that already over 12,000 ducks have died, another 36,000 may be killed to avoid further spreading.

Prior to this, the flu was reported in Rajasthan, after the presence of the dreaded virus was confirmed in dead crows in Jhalawar and more avian deaths were reported in other districts, including Jaipur. On Sunday, seven crows were found dead at the iconic Jal Mahal, taking the toll to 252 in the state.

Apart from this, the flu was also detected in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore where carcasses of 50 crows were found, putting the authorities on alert. The authorities have now launched a drive to identify those with suspected flu symptoms in the area.

According to updates, nearly 50 crows were found dead on the campus of Daly College on Tuesday. Some of the carcasses were sent for tests to Bhopal. They were found to be carrying the H5N8 virus.