A fresh outbreak of bird flu has been confirmed in Jharkhand’s Bokaro district, a month after the H5N1 virus led to the culling of 5,500 birds in Ranchi. The outbreak was officially acknowledged on March 7 when the Centre issued a letter to Jharkhand’s chief secretary, confirming the spread of avian influenza in the state.
The virus was detected at a government poultry farm in Bokaro’s Sector 12, where approximately 250 birds have already died. Acting swiftly, the Bokaro administration culled 46 remaining birds at the farm on Saturday and destroyed 506 eggs along with 1,717 kg of poultry feed as part of containment measures. The entire farm has also been sanitized, Bokaro Animal Husbandry Officer Dr. Manoj Mani told PTI.
Authorities have declared a 1-km radius around the affected farm as a containment zone, where all birds will be culled. Additionally, a 10-km radius has been designated as a surveillance zone, restricting poultry sales and purchases in the area. An awareness campaign is also being launched to educate people about the risks and preventive measures, officials said.
Dr. Anil Kumar Sinha, in charge of the government poultry farm, revealed that the first bird deaths were reported on February 20. “Twelve birds died on February 23, following which we sent samples to Ranchi on February 25 and Kolkata on February 27. After instructions from the Kolkata-based laboratory, additional samples were sent to a Bhopal lab on March 5,” Sinha stated.
The ICAR-National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus on March 7. Of the 300 birds at the farm, around 250 perished within 15 days, officials reported.
Sources By Agencies
