Karnataka reported the first coronavirus related death in India and is currently faced with 10 coronavirus cases. Now apart from this, the state has also reported a bird flu outbreak or avian influenza from Kumbarakoppal area of Mysuru. Karnataka is the second state in India to report a bird flu outbreak after Kerala. Two cases of bird flu have been found in the Kumbarakoppal area of Mysuru. So if you’re from Karnataka maybe this is the time to you take care of your diet.
What’s In It?
Reports suggest two domestic birds died in Kumnarakoppal on 12th March. This was the first sign of suspicion. After these deaths, authorities sent the samples to a test lab in Bhopal. The authorities then received a report from the test lab which confirmed avian influenza. On confirmation of the viral infection, authorities of the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services took a decision to cull all birds in the infected area within 1 km radius of the house to prevent the spread of bird flu.
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Around 7000 birds in houses in the localities, including 4000 chicken in a poultry farm were all culled. More than 2000 birds majorly from poultry farms were culled and many more will be euthanized in the coming days. The authorities have stated that the situation is under control and there is no need for panic. But even though they have said this, the shopkeepers in the area have been banned from selling chicken. A similar outbreak was also witnessed in Kerala, a month ago. Two chicken farms in Kozhikode district of Kerala confirmed the bird flu outbreak and authorities took stringent actions to contain this. Did you know Tourist Spots In Kerala Shut Down Due To Coronavirus Outbreak?
What’s More?
Bird flu or Avian Influenza is a disease caused by infection with bird influenza Type A viruses. Wild aquatic birds suffer from this virus at times, and they can then infect domestic poultry and other bird and animal species. However Avian flu doesn’t normally infect humans. This outbreak has been confirmed at a time when the poultry industry is already taken a hit due to the spread of coronavirus. Some misleading messages on social media were circulated claiming that chickens are a cause of Covid-19. People have refrained from eating non-vegetarian food, especially chicken and the prices for this have also dropped tremendously. Well, we hope that the state government will continue to take stringent measures to contain this bird flu.