Bhubaneswar: Bird flu scare has panicked the citizens of the Capital city with the sudden death of 10 crows in Salia Sahi slum area Monday. The state administration, however, ruled out the possibility.
The residents of Salia Sahi and nearby areas Monday morning spotted carcasses of 10 crows at Nilachakranagar vegetable market here.
“Excluding Khurda and Rourkela, the bird flu menace has not spread its tentacles to any part of the state so far. The death of birds in other areas, are either natural deaths or due to other reasons but not bird flu,” claimed fisheries and animal resources development secretary Bishnupada Sethi.
In the wake of the suspected bird flu outbreak in Salia Sahi area, the locals have started avoiding consuming chicken. The poultry owners in Salia Sahi area are also worried about their healthy fowls being infected by the disease.
The first bird flu incident was detected in Khurda district and a few days later the government found that some birds of Indira Gandhi Park (zoo) at Rourkela were also infected with bird flu virus H5N1. The administration has closed the Indira Gandhi Park at Rourkela for indefinite period after traces of the virus was detected in a bird.
“Bird flu has not been traced in chickens in Rourkela area, but a pelican and a crow in Panposh area of Rourkela had traces of the virus. A laboratory report confirmed that some chicken had died due to heavy cold in Keonjhar. Similarly, some other chickens had died of Ranikhet disease in Bhadrak,” Sethi added.
Meanwhile, the culling operation of poultry in Keranga village of Khurda district was completed to stop spread of bird flu virus. Two veterinary experts have also reached the steel city to review the situation. The two would visit the affected areas to create general awareness among the people about the disease, the sources added.
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