Chikkaballapur (Karnataka), Feb 28 As the district authorities take steps to contain the bird flu outbreak in the Chikkaballapur district, located close to Bengaluru, the State Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Department has issued an order to cull 350 chickens in a poultry farm.
The order issued on Friday was for a farm located in Varadahalli, Chikkaballapur. The authorities in the district are on high alert following the detection of the H5N1 virus in chickens in Varadahalli. The district administration, led by Deputy Commissioner P.N. Ravindra, has conducted an emergency meeting and issued an order prohibiting the movement of chickens from the village.
All roads leading to the village have been barricaded, and vehicle movement is being monitored to ensure that no chickens are transported out. Preliminary investigations indicate that 28 chickens were found dead at the residence of one Dyamappa in Varadahalli. Chickens have also started dying in other households in the village.
The authorities sent samples from three dead chickens from a poultry farm in the village to the Bengaluru Central Laboratory. The lab tests confirmed avian influenza in the samples. Consequently, orders were issued to cull all chickens from the poultry farm.
Authorities have conducted a door-to-door survey of poultry in the village and have sprayed sodium hypochlorite solution throughout the area. The health department is also closely monitoring the health of residents.
However, sources reveal that authorities are investigating a tip-off that poultry farms in Varadahalli transported approximately 10,000 chickens to Bengaluru two days ago. These chickens are suspected to have been sold in meat shops and hotels across the city.
Officials are concerned about the development and are monitoring the situation. They are working to verify the claims, track the supply chain and warn sellers against selling chicken sourced from Varadahalli.
Following avian flu outbreaks in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra, Karnataka’s Animal Husbandry Department has ramped up the border surveillance of poultry trucks entering from neighbouring states. Previously, authorities in Karnataka had stated that no bird flu cases had been reported in the state, and they were effectively controlling the situation by closely monitoring poultry farms and chicken transportation.
It is estimated that Karnataka produces four crore of broilers per month. The state has 73 breeders and 20,000 poultry farmers. In the bordering Belagavi district, authorities have begun screening poultry samples from individual and company farms and have set up checkpoints along the Maharashtra border.
Following reports of the bird flu outbreak, poultry farmers have stated that consumers are avoiding chicken and eggs, leading to financial losses.
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