Bird flu spreads in Bihar, authorities on high alert

In Bihar, an alert has been sounded in the state in view of the recent outbreak of bird flu in Patna, Bhagalpur and Jehanabad districts. Health Minister Mangal Pandey said the department is keeping a close watch on the situation. Pandey said authorities have been asked to take all precautions and duly collect samples in suspect cases. The minister said all hospitals have been asked to remain prepared to tackle any eventuality. People have been advised to take precautions with symptoms of Bird Flu with complaints of fever, running nose and breathlessness.
Officials said culling of chickens was carried out on the 8th and 9th of March at two poultry farms close to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research – Regional Centre for Eastern Region (ICAR-RCER), Patna following the outbreak. More than three thousand chickens and chicks were also culled in poultries in the Barari region in the Bhagalpur district following an outbreak. The whole area has been sanitized to further spread the disease. In Patna, Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Park is on alert and precautionary measures have been taken to protect birds and animals.
There have been reports of deaths of nearly a dozen crows in Munger district after which, a team of the animal husbandry department rushed to the site and collected samples for tests. Bird flu has been confirmed in neighbouring Jharkhand as well and the culling of chickens and ducks has been started there to stop its spread.