This story is from January 14, 2021

Parrots and peacocks negative, but deaths continue

Parrots and peacocks negative, but deaths continue
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Nagpur: Amid cases of dying birds coming up from different parts of the region, there is some good news too. Samples of the parrots, pigeons and peacocks found dead in Nagpur and Yavatmal districts, respectively, have been found to be bird flu negative. At the same time, one crow found dead in Gondia has tested positive for the H5 protein of the virus.
Meanwhile, the unusual mortality of both poultry and non-poultry species continued in the region.

After Yavatmal, eight peacock deaths were reported in Wardha, apart around 30-odd more poultry dying in the same farm in Bhandara taking the total numbers to 79 there. The toll continued for the third day at a farm in Lingta village of Yavatmal’s Kelapur taluka with over 500 poultry birds dying there till Tuesday.
The public in general has been asked not to touch dead birds and report the same on animal husbandry department’s helpline 0712-2525306 to report such cases.
At Mouda in Nagpur district, 14 poultry birds were reported dead at a backyard farm, said sources. Tests are awaited for rest of the samples.
Last week, 40 parrots and five pigeons were found dead at Kondhali, over 40km from Nagpur. Out of these, samples of four parrots, a pigeon and two peacocks were sent for testing and found negative in the first stage itself. Eight peacocks had died in Yavatmal, out of which samples of two were sent.

The 45 birds which included parrots and pigeons were the first reporting of unusual mortality from Vidarbha in the light of bird flu scare. This was followed by 265 poultry deaths reported at Kalmeshwar in Nagpur district. Poultry deaths were reported in other parts of the region too.
As part of the bird flu protocol, carcasses of birds are sent to western regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory at Pune and later to the National Institute of High Security Disease (NISHAD) at Pune. No bird flu virus was found at Pune where the H protein is confirmed. There was no need to send samples of parrots, pigeon and peacocks further to Bhopal where N protein is confirmed in the next stage.
In Bhandara, the district administration has issued strict restrictive orders including home quarantine of farm workers. However, sources in animal husbandry department say such measures are not needed till the reports arrive. The human handlers can be directed to take precautions like Covid as they can be kept under surveillance. No other districts have issued orders like Bhandara, said sources.
An isolation ward has been set up at the wild life department’s transit treatment centres to keep the birds coming there away from each other.
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