The Jhalawar district administration has imposed prohibitory orders below section 144 in the Radi ke Balaji locality of Jhalawar district just after an outbreak of avian flu that has left scores of crows dead.
The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal has confirmed that the deaths have been due to avian influenza even though they have not however identified the strain of the virus that triggered the flu.
The deaths of the crows have been reported given that December 25 from a temple in the Radi ke Balaji locality on the outskirts of Jhalawar town. The temple was shut on Wednesday and police force has been posted outdoors the temple gates.
A group of specialists from the regional diagnostic lab in Kota and a speedy response group set up by the district administration took samples of poultry animals shops and poultry farms in the region on Thursday. The samples have been sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.
Confirming the death of 25 crows, Jhalawar collector Ngikya Gohain mentioned a zero mobility zone has been imposed in a 1 km radius of the temple and section 144 was clamped on Wednesday evening.
He mentioned the centre has been informed of the avian flu outbreak as per the Action Plan 2015 suggestions and a central group could stop by the region.
The poultry and egg shops in the Radi region have been shut down. People have been asked not to move out of their residences. The administration has arranged for ration to be delivered to people today in their residences.
“If any poultry is found infected then the chickens will be culled and compensation will be given to farmers,” he mentioned.
Dr Vikram Singh, joint director, animal husbandry division, Jhalawar, mentioned, “Sero sampling of the poultry is being done in the area. The affected area has been sanitised and the bodies of the dead birds are being disposed of by burying them in pits and sprinkling sodium hypochlorite on them.”
Gohain mentioned just after the death of the crows came to light, the administration sought aid from the union animal husbandry ministry for testing of the samples as Jhalawar does not have any testing facility. It was on the suggestions of the ministry that samples have been sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal for testing.
Gohain mentioned the officials suspect that the bird flu has spread from migratory birds that stop by Jhalawar in the winter as migratory birds are identified to carry avian flu virus.
Meanwhile, deaths of crows have been also reported from Chopasani Housing Board region of Jodhpur in the final couple of days.
The animal husbandry division officials collected samples of the dead crows on Wednesday and sent them for testing to the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal. The reports are awaited.
Notably, a huge quantity of migratory birds flock to Jodhpur also through the winter for nesting.
Avian influenza or bird flu is a form of influenza triggered by viruses adapted to birds. The avian influenza form A virus is incredibly contagious and can be fatal for birds and domesticated species. It can also spread to humans.
Last year in December, thousands of migratory birds had died at the Sambhar Lake, the biggest inland saltwater lake in the nation, close to Jaipur due to avian botulism.