An animal husbandry official inspecting a poultry unit in Eluru district.
| Photo Credit: File Photo
Eluru Collector K. Vetriselvi has said that rumours are doing the round, claiming that a person hailing from the district has contracted bird flu.
She urged the people not to believe such ‘baseless rumours’ and panic. “There is no evidence of bird flu being transmitted to humans in India so far,” she told the media on Thursday.
Ms. Vetriselvi said that properly cooked eggs and meat are safe for consumption and no cases of bird flu in humans have been reported yet. The Forest Department has also been alerted as a precautionary measure.
The Collector explained the measures taken in the district related to bird flu. She mentioned that after receiving a complaint about chickens dying at a poultry farm in Badampudi village in Unguturu mandal, the animal husbandry officials were alerted.
Samples collected from the dead birds were sent to National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal for testing, and the report arrived on Wednesday evening, confirming the presence of bird flu.
Following this, the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) have been implemented. A coordination meeting with the district officials was held to assess the situation.
A round-the-clock Command and Control Centre has been set up with a toll-free number 9966779943 for the public to report any unusual deaths at poultry farms.
The Collector added that the area within a kilometre radius of the affected poultry farm at Badampudi has been declared an infected zone and a 10-km radius has been designated as a surveillance zone. The birds in the infected zone have been ordered to be culled and buried to check the spread of the infection, she said
In total, 20 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs), comprising five members each, have been deployed for the culling process. These teams have been provided with the necessary protective equipment such as PPE kits.
Further, the people are being sensitised to the precautions that need to be taken against bird flu. Medical camps are being set up within the 10-km radius of the infected zone to provide antiviral treatment to birds showing flu symptoms, she added.
Animal Husbandry Department Joint Director Dr. T. Govindaraju and DCHS Dr. Paul Satish participated in the meeting.
Published – February 14, 2025 04:54 am IST
