A Central team comprising animal husbandry joint-secretary and senior scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is scheduled to visit Andhra Pradesh on Friday, find out the measures being taken up to curb spread of bird flu and to advise the state government on how to deal with the prevailing situation in the state.
Vijayawada:A Central team comprising animal husbandry joint-secretary and senior scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research is scheduled to visit Andhra Pradesh on Friday, find out the measures being taken up to curb spread of bird flu and to advise the state government on how to deal with the prevailing situation in the state.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has discussed with the Union joint-secretary for animal husbandry and the scientists from the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases on the prevalence of bird flu in parts of AP and reportedly sought their help to deal with the virus in the state.
The animal husbandry authorities say that no fresh cases of bird flu has been found and the culling of nearly one lakh chickens at Badampur in Eluru district and Velpuru in West Godavari district is being taken up and complete the complete the exercise by Friday.
Of the 15 samples sent to the Central lab in Bhopal, H5N1 virus was confirmed in five places including Badampur in Eluru district, Velpur and Kanuru in West Godavari and Anumallanka village of Gampalagudem mandal in NTR district.
The authorities said there is no trouble to the people except for the poultry farms with infected birds and declaration of one km radius area as a red zone and nine km radius area for surveillance.
They added that inter-district and inter-state transportation of chickens are being allowed except from the infected poultry birds.
They spoke to the authorities in Telangana and West Bengal to allow transport of chickens from other than bird flu-affected areas from AP.
Animal husbandry director Dr T. Damodar Naidu said, “A Central team will be visiting AP shortly to review the measures being initiated to deal with bird flu and to advise it. We appeal to the people not to be carried away by misinformation in spread of bird flu as it is absolutely under control at the moment with no fresh cases reported from anywhere.”
Speaking to the media at the Secretariat, minister for agriculture and animal husbandry Kinjarapu Atchannaidu advised the people not to panic on bird flu as it was under control and they could eat properly cooked chicken and eggs originating from non-affected areas without any apprehensions as they were safe to eat. He warned of stern action against those who tried to mislead the people on the spread of bird flu.
Animal husbandry director Dr Damodar Naidu said there was no case of the H5N1 infecting the human beings in the entire country and denounced some misinformation campaign from Eluru district claiming a man got infected with the virus.
