Maharashtra: Bird flu confirmed after 900 hens die in Parbhani

Bird flu has been confirmedas the cause of death of around 900 hens in the last few daysat a poultry farm in Maharashtras Parbhani district, a seniorofficial said on Monday.The district administration has now decided to cullnearly 8,000 birds in Murumba village where these hens died,Collector Deepak Muglikar told PTI.Earlier, Muglikar on Saturday said around 900 hens haddied at a poultry farm, run by a Self-Help Group SHG, in thevillage and their samples were sent for testing.The cause of the death has been confirmed as birdflu.

Bird flu has been confirmedas the cause of death of around 900 hens in the last few daysat a poultry farm in Maharashtra's Parbhani district, a seniorofficial said on Monday.

The district administration has now decided to cullnearly 8,000 birds in Murumba village where these hens died,Collector Deepak Muglikar told PTI.

Earlier, Muglikar on Saturday said around 900 hens haddied at a poultry farm, run by a Self-Help Group (SHG), in thevillage and their samples were sent for testing.

''The cause of the death has been confirmed as birdflu. Hence, we have decided to cull all the birds in one-kmradius of the place where these deaths took place,'' thecollector said.

''We have created a prohibitory zone in 10 km radius ofthe area where the birds died. No birds will be transportedfrom there to any other place. Our medical team is stationedthere and it is examining all people of the village,'' he said.

There is no need to be panic and the districtadministration is taking all precautions.

The bird flu outbreak has already been confirmed inKerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana,Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.

The central government on Sunday said it has directedzoo managements to submit daily reports to the Central ZooAuthority (CZA) till their area is declared free from thedisease.

The CZA, under the environment ministry, issued anoffice memorandum saying avian influenza is a scheduleddisease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious andContagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, and reporting such adisease is obligatory for taking appropriate preventivemeasures against its spread.