India, Kerala State: Massive death of ducks from avian influenza in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts - H5N1 confirmed

[tetano]

Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy has called for a high-level meeting to discuss the reports of the deaths of ducks in Alapuzha due to avian influenza virus, a Kerala minister said Monday.

Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar told the media here that there is no need for any panic.

"All arrangements are being made to stock medicines to tackle any outbreak of fever. The chief minister has called for an emergency meeting of ministers and officials. There is no need to worry or panic," said Sivakumar.

Over the past two weeks, a number of ducks in Alappuzha and Pathanamthitta districts have been reportedly dropping dead. Following this samples were sent to a few labs of which the Bhopal lab confirmed that the ducks died due to avian influenza.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/index.php/sid/227912991

[tetano]

Re: H1N1 kills ducks in Kerala, CM calls meeting

Kerala Animal Husbandry Department on Monday said avian influenza virus was behind the massive death of ducks in Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district.

Reports from Alappuzha said 17,000 ducks had died in recent days. Kuttanad is Kerala?s prominent paddy-growing region, where scores of farmers are engaged in rearing duck.

Kerala Animal Husbandry Minister K P Mohanan said preventive steps would be soon initiated to contain the disease. The avian flu was confirmed after lab tests at National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal. He said veterinary kits would be disturbed in the region and if necessary, birds would be culled to prevent the disease?s spread to other regions.

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/tests-confirm-kerala-duck-deaths-caused-by-avian-influenza/

[Gert van der Hoek]

Re: India: Kerala: Massive death of ducks from avian influenza in Kuttanad region of Alappuzha district - strain?

Bird flu detected in Kuttanad

This was due to the widespread attack of Avian Influenza virus

George Joseph | Kochi November 24, 2014

The Kerala Animal Husbandry department today confirmed that the death of thousands of ducks in Kuttanad area in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts was due to bird lu. The department said that it was due to the widespread attack of Avian Influenza virus, which was confirmed by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal.

More than ten thousand ducks have already died due to the virus attack during last couple of weeks causing huge loss to the farmers. The farmers are nursing the ducks targeting the high demand during the Christmas-New Year season.

Meanwhile, Chief minister Oommen Chandy has convened a high-level meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue and to take precautionary measures. Kerala Health minister V S Sivakumar said that vaccines will be distributed free of cost in the affected areas. The Animal Husbandry department informed that there is no cause for panic, but that the farmers should be careful when handling the ducks as the disease can spread to human beings also. The department also plans to kill all the birds, including chicken in the largely affected four villages in order to stop the spreading of the epidemic.

The disease is widespread in areas like Thalavadi, Vattakayal, Kainakary, Ponga and Purakkad in Alappuzha district and Aymanam in Kottayam district. It is estimated that around two lakh ducks are being grown in these areas. Department sources said that the disease has spread from the migrant birds, which are common in this season at the Kuttanad paddy fields.

The situation is grave as far as the growers concerned. A duck costs roughly RS 250 in the retail market. This may go up to Rs 275-300 during the festival season.

The birds show severe respiratory distress, ruffled feathers and watery eyes, causing death in 24 to 72 hours.

Business Standard

Location of Kerala State in India and its districts

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[Ronan Kelly]

Re: India, Kerala State: Massive death of ducks from avian influenza in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts - Strain?

Bird flu confirmed in Kuttanad

Posted on :16:17:46 Nov 24, 2014
Last edited on:17:31:04 Nov 24, 2014


ALAPPUZHA: The outbreak of avian influenza (bird flu) was reported at Kuttanad in Alappuzha where more than 10,000 ducks died during the past one week.

State Animal Husbandary Department sources said here Monday that the samples of the dead birds tested positive of the avian flu virus at the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory (HSADL) in Bhopal. However, the exact avian strain is yet to be confirmed.
...
The affected regions were Nedumudi and Edathua in the Kuttanad, known as rice bowl of Kerala. This is perhaps the only region in the world where farming is done 1.5 to 2 m below sea level. More than 1,000 people are engaged in duck farming in the area. It would be a difficult task for the authorities to undertake pre-emptive culling in a radius of one-km if the situation arose.

http://kaumudiglobal.com/innerpage1.php?newsid=57954

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: India, Kerala State: Massive death of ducks from avian influenza in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts - Strain?

Kerala govt orders massive culling of ducks after tests confirm avian influenza

Written by Shaju Philip | Thiruvananthapuram | Posted: November 24, 2014 5:03 pm | Updated: November 24, 2014 9:53 pm
As avian influenza was confirmed as the cause of death of nearly 17,000 ducks in the state?s major paddy-growing Kuttanad region in Central Kerala, the government ordered for massive culling of the birds and other poultry in affected areas.
According to animal husbandry department, the avian influenza was confirmed following lab tests at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal. However, the department is yet to get reports about the sub-type of the virus to ascertain whether it would affect humans.
Kuttanad, spread over three districts, has a duck population of 6 lakhs. Deaths have been reported from two villages in the recent weeks. As per the decision, all poultry in one square kilometer from the affected villages would be culled immediately. Besides, the sale of duck has been banned in Kuttanad and Ambalapuzha taluks in Alappuzha.
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- See more at: http://indianexpress.com/article/ind....uwnqvqXg.dpuf

[tetano]

Re: India, Kerala State: Massive death of ducks from avian influenza in Kottayam and Alappuzha districts - Strain?

H5N1 confirmed in Alappuzha

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Health Ministry has clarified that the dangerous H5N1 virus is behind the outbreak of avian flu in the district which resulted in the death of large number of ducks. H5N1 virus has the potential to enter the human body. The ministry also informed that the disease could spread fast if necessary preventive measures were not taken.

As far as humans are considered, the body will find it difficult resist the H5N1 virus and the only way is preventing the entry of the virus. In 1997, the virus that spread in Hong Kong was the one similar to the H5N1. The virus also attacked countries in Asia, Europe and Africa in 2003-04.

http://www.kerala9.com/news-category/news/kerala-news/h5n1-confirmed-in-alappuzha