Bird flu: 30 crows found dead in UP's Etawah; avian flu common in winter, don’t panic, says govt

Amid the bird flu scare, about 30 crows were found dead at Navli village in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah.

Etawah forest official Rajesh Kumar Verma said that the samples of the dead crows were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly, for testing.

The dead birds were later buried in compliance with all the safety precautions.

Meanwhile, Chief Veterinary Officer Vineet Pandey said that his teams have been carrying out inspections of all the poultry farms in the area.

According to a report on Times of India, Atul Chaturvedi, the secretary of the Union government’s department of animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries was quoted saying avian flu occurs every year in the country because migratory birds bring the infection to India from across the world.

On the sudden outbreak of avian influenza in parts of the country, Chaturvedi said, “The outbreaks usually happen in winter months, starting from September-October till February-March. Unnecessary panic need not be created about avian influenza — a common phenomenon in India. Some years, the bird mortalities are more and in others less. Every year, India gets the disease because of bird migrations and is declared bird flu-free subsequently after the outbreak is over.”

Few states, including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh, recently witnessed unusual deaths of poultry, crows and migratory birds.

In the wake of several reports of poultry, crows, migratory bird deaths in as many as five states, the other states are stepping up vigil to monitor bird movements and unusual deaths in forest areas.

The bird flu is a highly infectious and severe respiratory disease in birds caused by H5N1 influenza which can spread to human beings and turn fatal.
 

• Bird flu
• avian flu
• avian influenza