Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh is witnessing an alarming rise in poultry deaths, particularly in the coastal districts of West and East Godavari.
Over the past month, thousands of broiler chickens perished, with the mortality rate surging dramatically in the last five days. Poultry farmers’ welfare associations estimate that nearly four lakh chickens died across the state in just one week.
The Animal Husbandry Department launched a comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of deaths. Initial estimates suggest that while the normal mortality rate in poultry farms is around 0.5%, a suspected viral outbreak pushed it up to 4%. Samples from affected farms were sent to a high-tech laboratory in Bhopal for further analysis. Until the reports are received, officials have advised farmers to strengthen biosecurity measures to curb the spread of the disease.
Experts suspect that the virus may have spread due to overcrowding in poultry farms and improper disposal of infected birds. Reports indicate that many dead chickens were dumped in canals and ponds instead of being scientifically buried, potentially accelerating the outbreak.
Damodar Naidu, director of the veterinary and animal husbandry department, stated that the situation may not be as severe as poultry farmers claim. He emphasized that negligence in maintaining biosecurity contributed to the spread. “We are advising farmers on proper containment measures. Infected chickens are being isolated and provided with immunity boosters. The lab report from Bhopal is expected in three days,” he said.
Poultry farmers were facing problems as many labourers working at the farms were refraining from attending their duties due to fear of contracting the virus from the birds.
Meanwhile, chicken sales plummeted due to fears of bird flu. However, medical experts have assured that there is no risk of the virus spreading to humans through poultry consumption.
