The Animal Husbandry Department of Delhi on Monday confirmed that all the samples sent from Delhi to a laboratory in Bhopal had tested positive for bird flu or avian influenza.
Following this news, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi has called for an emergency meeting.
Dr Rakesh Singh from the animal husbandry unit of the Development Department said all eight samples (four from a park in Mayur Vihar Phase 3, three from Sanjay Lake and one from Dwarka) were positive for avian influenza. The samples were sent to Bhopal’s National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD) last week.
As many as 91 crows and 27 ducks were found dead across 15 Delhi Development Authority (DDA) parks in Delhi on Sunday, and
eight samples from dead crows and ducks were sent for testing.
According to an official release, the Green Area Sanjay Lake at Trilokpuri Phase-I, II and III were declared Alert Zones.
In a communication with the Chief Secretaries and Administrators of the States and Union Territories, the Secretary of Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying requested Animal Husbandry departments to ensure effective communication and coordination with health authorities for close vigilance of the disease status.
Also, the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying asked for increased surveillance around water bodies, live bird markets, zoos, poultry farms, etc. proper disposal of the carcass, and strengthening of bio-security in poultry farms.
States were also requested to be prepared for any eventuality of avian influenza and were requested to ensure sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.
The central government on Sunday said that it has also directed zoo managements to submit daily reports to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) till their areas are declared free from the disease. The CZA, under the environment ministry, issued an official memorandum saying avian influenza is a scheduled disease under the Prevention and Control of Infectious and Contagious Diseases in Animals Act, 2009, and reporting such a disease is obligatory for taking appropriate preventive measures against its spread.
Besides Delhi, the disease has already been confirmed in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh.
Maharashtra too had confirmed the presence of avian flu with test results showing that 800 chickens died of the flu at Murumba village in Parbhani district.
