Maha bird flu: 4,000 birds culled in Latur, ops on in Parbhani

The process to cullbirds in Murumba village in Parbhani district and in twovillages in Latur district, both in Marathwada region ofMaharashtra, began on Tuesday, officials said.

In Murumba village, 5,550 birds will be culled tillWednesday while 4,000 birds were culled in Kendrewadi andSukni villages in Latur district during the day.

The culling of birds in these two village in Latur wasordered after samples of birds collected were found positivefor bird flu, an official said earlier in the day.

Earlier, avian influenza was confirmed as the cause ofthe death of approximate 900 hens at a poultry farm inMurumba.

''Parbhani district administration has decided to cullhens in the periphery of the infected area,'' an official said.

''In Murumba, pits are being made ready to bury birds.

5,550 birds will be culled by Wednesday,'' Parbhani districtcollector Deepak Muglikar told PTI.

He said the villagers were initially not convinced toallow killing of birds.

''But we convinced them and promised compensation forthe culled birds,'' Muglikar said.

The process of culling has also began in Sukni andKendrewadi villages in Latur, an official told.

Earlier in the day, Latur district collectorPruthviraj B P ordered culling of birds in the 1-km radiusfrom where birds infected with avian influenza were found inKendrewadi and Sukni.

At least 225 birds have died in Kendrewadi tillMonday, while 12 hens have died in Sukni and four inWanjarwadi of Udgir taluka.

Samples of dead birds from Kendrewadi and Sukni weresent for testing and their results came out positive for theavian infleunza infection, an official said, adding thatreports of samples from Wanjarwadi are awaited.

''Teams of officials have culled 4,000 out of theestimated 10,000 birds in Kendrewadi and Sukni,'' the collectorsaid.

As per the prohibitory order issued by Laturadministration, vehicles are banned from entering the affectedareas in the district. Transport of poultry products, birds,animal feed and manure, movements of villagers, animals willalso remain prohibited, as per the Prevention and Control ofInfectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009.

The directive has ordered that the entrance andpremises of the affected poultry should be disinfected withSodium Hydroxide or Potassium Permanganate.

Avian influenza has been confirmed as the cause of thedeath of different birds in Parbhani, Mumbai, Thane, Beed andDapoli in Maharashtra so far.