Bird Flu in Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan

Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala and Madhya Pradesh has been hit by the dreaded Bird Flu. It has caused the death of hundred’s of birds. The government of these states has sounded an alert. The bird flu is an infectious and severe respiratory disease in birds caused by H5N1 influenza. It can spread to human beings and turn fatal.

Reports of birds dying mysteriously in many states have been hitting headlines for many days. I Haryana more than a lakh poultry birds have reportedly died due to the flu. Rajasthan has reported death of a number of crows which has been linked to avian influenza. Ducks in Kerala have also reportedly tested positive for the bird flu.

In Himachal Pradesh, 400 migratory waterfowl were found dead in wildlife ranges of Dhameta and Nagrota. Subsequently, hundreds of more birds were found dead each day, totalling 1,773 till Sunday. Most of them were the Bar-Headed Geese, that arrives from Central Asia, Russia, Mongolia and other regions.

In Kerala, a decision to cull all the birds within a kilometre radius to control the disease has been taken. Madhya Pradesh government sounded Bird flu alert after the dreaded virus was found in dead crows. Nearly 400 crows have died due to viral infection so far. Even in Gujarat 53 aquatic birds were found dead on the bank of Kharo reservoir in Junagadh.