Bhubaneswar: The year’s first avian influenza (bird flu) case was detected at the poultry farm of Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) located on the campus of College of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry here.
After confirmation of the first bird flu case, the state government has started taking steps to prevent spread of the virus to other areas of the state. The Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (F&ARD) department Monday said it has mobilised all its resources to control the spread of the disease.
This disease is a viral one and the causative agent is H5N1influenza virus. Migratory birds act as the carrier of this disease and it spreads through their saliva and droppings.
The government has declared area within 1-km radius of the infected site of OUAT poultry farm as ‘Infected Zone’ and area within 1 to 10 km radius as the ‘Surveillance Zone’.
The government has decided to cull all the poultry birds within1-km radius of the infected site and dispose of them by deep burial method with application of disinfectants like lime and bleaching powder. The area will be disinfected with bleaching powder to check any further contamination, official sources in the F&ARD department said.
As a measure of control and containment of the disease, the government has also prohibited movement of poultry birds and poultry products to and from the infected zone (within 1-km radius of OUAT).
To carry out the culling operation and surveillance measures, the department has formed 12 rapid response teams (RRTs) comprising qualified veterinary doctors and para-veterinarians.
Seven teams will be engaged for the culling operation while the remaining five will carry out surveillance measures in the surrounding area.
The RRTs within 1-km radius of the infected site will cull the poultry birds in the OUAT poultry farm and the shops and establishments in the infected zone. They will also cull the birds reared in back yard system within1- km radius of the infected site by visiting the farmers at their doorsteps, they said.
As a measure of surveillance, the RRTs in the surveillance zone will collect blood, tracheal and cloacal samples from poultry birds in the surveillance zone at regular intervals.
Restocking of poultry birds within 1- km radius of the infected site will commence after 90 days of issuance of sanitisation certificate by the government, the source said.
As spreading of the virus to humans is extremely rare, the government has advised general public not to panic for this.
Awareness campaigns about the disease and precautionary measures have been taken up by the government. For quick dissemination of information regarding the disease, control rooms have been opened at district and state level.
The state-level control room is functioning at the directorate of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services, in Cuttack with telephone number 0671-2414310 & Fax Number 0671-2414739. The district level control room is functioning at office of sub divisional veterinary officer, Bhubaneswar (Sahid Nagar) with telephone number 0674-2540425.