In a blow to poultry farmers, bird flu detected in Kottayam, Alappuzha districts

In a major blow to poultry farmers ahead of the Christmas-New Year season, authorities have confirmed the presence of a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in Alappuzha and Kottayam districts.

According to Animal Husbandry department officials , the presence of H5N1 virus was confirmed in tests conducted at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, and the Avian Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Thiruvalla.

The infection has been confirmed in one ward each of eight panchayats in Alappuzha and in four villages in Kottayam. In Alappuzha district, cases have been reported from the panchayats of Nedumudi, Cheruthana, Karuvatta, Karthikappally, Ambalappuzha South, Punnapra South, Thakazhi and Purakkad.

According to Alappuzha District Animal Husbandry officer Arunodaya P.V., avian flu had affected the birds of nine farmers and they together lost 44,000 birds. Officials said that besides the eight panchayats, Kumarapuram panchayat, though not an epicentre, was declared an infected zone as it fell within the one-km radius of Karthikappallay panchayat.

Alappuzha District Collector Alex Varghese chaired a meeting to take stock of the situation on Tuesday. “As per the preliminary assessment, 19,881 birds within the one-km radius of epicentres will be culled in the district as part of containment measures. Culling will begin on December 26,” said an official. This is the seventh outbreak of avian influenza in the region in the past 11 years.

In Kottayam, the disease has been detected in the villages of Kuruppanthara, Manjoor, Kallupurakkal, and Velur. Quails and chickens were among the birds found to be infected. By the time the disease was confirmed by the NIHSAD, around 10,000 chickens and 500 quails had succumbed to the disease. Around 5,000 birds, including 1,500 quails, are remaining to be culled.

Officials said deaths were reported primarily from integrated chicken farms that operated on a contract basis, where companies from Tamil Nadu supplied chicks, feed, and other resources for raising the birds. Once the birds reached maturity, the companies would reclaim them. Animal Husbandry officials noted that farmers involved in these arrangements typically did not seek departmental support, relying entirely on the companies for assistance.

An emergency meeting was convened in the districts to begin culling of all domestic birds, including ducks, from Friday onwards in the one-km radius of the locations where the disease has been confirmed. Preventive measures, including culling of birds, will be done as per the revised guidelines of the Central government issued in 2021, officials said.

A ban on the movement of poultry is likely to be declared in the 10-km radius of the affected areas.

The authorities, meanwhile, have been tasked with monitoring the situation in local bodies surrounding the affected areas. According to them, the disease gets spread primarily through migratory birds and seabirds. The birds that get affected by the virus dies within three to five days of infection.