The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), under the Union Ministry of Animal Husbandry, made registration mandatory for all poultry farms across the country within a month. The move is part of Centre’s “three-pronged strategy” to combat the ongoing H5N1 avian influenza outbreak affecting multiple states, officials said on Friday.
The decision follows confirmed H5N1 outbreaks in 34 epicentres across eight states, namely Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. Registration must be completed with respective state animal husbandry departments, according to an HT report.
A high-level meeting chaired by DAHD Secretary Alka Upadhyaya was held at Krishi Bhavan with representatives from the poultry industry, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other stakeholders. The focus was on urgent containment measures and disease prevention.
Although H5N1 mainly affects birds, officials confirmed fewer than 10 cases of transmission to mammals in India, the HT report said.
To aid control efforts, the DAHD has approved commercial use of the H9N2 (Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza) vaccine developed by ICAR-NIHSAD, Bhopal. A national study will assess the vaccine’s effectiveness. While industry representatives urged the government to expand vaccination efforts to prevent economic losses, experts cautioned that existing Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) vaccines do not offer sterile immunity, but only help reduce virus shedding.
