4 lakh chickens died in Haryana poultry farms in one month; Glanders detected in horses

At a time when avian influenza has been detected in several states, over four lakh chickens have died in Haryana in the last month, JP Dalal, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Fisheries Minister of Haryana said on Saturday.

At a time when avian influenza has been detected in several states, over four lakh chickens have died in Haryana in the last month, JP Dalal, Animal Husbandry and Dairying Fisheries Minister of Haryana said on Saturday. Samples from two poultry farms in Haryana have tested positive for H5N8 (Bird Flu), Dalal said. He added that as per the guidelines, all birds within a 1 km radius of where the birds tested positive will be culled and buried.

"Over 4 lakh chickens have died here in the past month. We sent samples to the Northern Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Jalandhar. Samples from different poultry farms were also sent to Bhopal. Two of these were found positive for H5N8," Dalal said. He said that about 1.60 lakh birds in five nearby farms would be culled and Rs 90 per bird will be given as compensation to the owners. Workers at the farms will be monitored and anti-viral tablets will be given to them.

The minister said that another disease, glanders, has been confirmed in horses in Ambala. "All the mules, donkey and horses in the area have been barred from exiting the area," he said.

Earlier on Friday, the Centre requested states and Union Territories (UTs) to raise awareness regarding the safety of poultry or poultry products and has also issued appropriate advisories to restore consumer confidence affected by rumours. These six states include Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Gujarat. In Lucknow, authorities of the Zoological Garden increased bird monitoring after the Kanpur Zoological Park confirmed the death of four birds. Their samples have been sent to the Animal Disease Laboratory of Bhopal under high security.

Authorities at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Dhanuri wetland and Surajpur wetland in the national capital are on high alert and have given precautionary warnings and protocols to the staff members. Meanwhile, the Punjab Government has declared the whole state a "controlled area" and imposed a complete ban on the import of live birds including poultry. Unprocessed poultry meat has been banned into the state till January 15.

As many as 35 crows were also found dead and samples were collected to test for bird flu.

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