Bhubaneswar: A high level team of the Union Health Ministry is coming here Thursday to take stock of the situation in the area affected by bird flu.
The bird flu was detected in the Poultry Research Farm of the College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry in the Odisha University of Agriculture and Technology (OUAT) campus Monday.
Soon after the outbreak of the disease, the state Health and Family Welfare department has taken several measures to prevent the spread of the disease to new areas.
Official sources here said a meeting was held under the chairmanship of Public Health Director Ajit Kumar Mohanty to assess the situation.
All the District Headquarters Hospitals, Capital Hospital, AIIMS, and all Medical College and hospital authorities were asked to remain alert and to open isolated wards.
Awareness campaigns have been taken up by the government to sensitise people about what to do and what not.
The authorities prohibited the movement of poultry birds and poultry products within one kilometre radius of the infected zone.
Culling operation
The Fisheries and Animal Resources Department authorities have formed 12 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) for culling birds in the infected zones.
The government has culled 922 poultry birds, destroyed 4,631 eggs and a huge quantity of poultry feeds Tuesday. The Culling of birds also continues for the second day Wednesday. The teams culled and disposed of 80 birds, destroyed 1,059 eggs and 10 kg of poultry feed collected from the chicken shops.
The RRTs also disposed of the carcasses and other materials by burying them and spreading bleaching powder as disinfectants.
Sales dip by 40%
Sale of chicken dropped by 40 per cent in Wednesday after the news of bird flu virus detected in the poultry farm ion the campus of College of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry, OUAT here.
As a precautionary measure people avoided buying chicken and the scare may continue for a few days, stated Prakash Chandra Behera, a chicken seller in the city.