Over 5,000 birds culled at two Pune villages; infected crows source of flu

PUNE: As many as 5,840 infected birds, all from two backyard poultries in a village each in Mulshi and Daund talukas of Pune district, were culled on Sunday after sample test reports confirmed them as positive for bird flu, state animal husbandry commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh said on Monday.
“Of these, 5,140 birds were culled in the Mulshi village and 700 in the Daund village,” he said. “An area within a radius of one kilometre of these backyard poultries has been declared as infected zone and all precautionary measures, including spraying of disinfectants, are being taken to check the spread of the infection,” Singh told TOI.

“A two-member team from the central government visited the bird-flu infected places in Pune and neighbouring Raigad district on Monday to take stock of the situation. Infected crows are being seen as the primary source of the spread of the flu among birds. Backyard poultries have been affected as the birds come in contact with infected crows. The flu cases found in Mulshi and Daund are a case in point,” he said.
Ever since the first confirmation of bird flu case in the state, the samples of suspect bird death cases are being sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal for confirmation.
The animal husbandry department has urged all to intimate it on 18002330418, a toll-free number, or the nearest veterinary dispensary in case of any unusual mortality of poultry birds in commercial farms and backyard poultry.
“Properly cooked poultry meat and boiled eggs are safe for human consumption. People should not spread misconceptions and rumours based on unscientific information,” Singh said.