Government Confirms Avian Flu Outbreak in Kerala’s Kottayam District
The Kerala district administration issued a statement on Thursday confirming an outbreak of avian flu (H5N1) at the government-run regional poultry farm in Manarcad. The administration has taken swift action to contain the outbreak, ordering the euthanasia and cremation of all domesticated and pet birds within a one-kilometer radius of the farm. Stringent disinfection measures are being implemented in the affected area, and a surveillance zone has been declared within a radius of 1 to 10 kilometers from the poultry farm.
As a precautionary measure, a ban has been imposed on the sale and import of all poultry products, including chicken, duck, quails, and other birds, in the Kottayam district. The decision was made following an inter-departmental meeting held at the Collectorate, where district Collector V Vigneshwari confirmed the outbreak. The affected farm, operated by the Animal Husbandry department, housed approximately nine thousand chickens at the time of the outbreak.
Samples from the farm were tested at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases lab in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, which confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus. The extent of the bird flu outbreak in cattle remains unknown. However, recent developments suggest that the virus may be present in more herds than initially estimated. On April 23, the US Food and Drug Administration detected fragments of the virus in the milk supply, highlighting the need for stringent pasteurization measures.
Health officials warn against consuming raw, unpasteurised milk, as the virus can be present in cows that show no signs of infection. To contain the outbreak, the US requires dairy cattle moving between states to be tested for bird flu. New information suggests that the outbreak may have started late last year, as a study funded by the US Department of Agriculture and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that the virus may have been circulating on a limited basis as far back as late 2023. The study suggests that wild birds transmit the virus to cattle, which then spread it when moved to other states.
