On Friday, the Central Government declared that the country is effectively monitoring bird flu outbreaks and advised state governments to allow the sale of poultry and poultry products from bird flu-free areas/states.
In an official release, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying stated, “The country has been effectively controlling the disease. It was reiterated that the virus gets destroyed easily at 70 degrees Centigrade and therefore, properly cooked poultry and poultry products are safe for human consumption.”
The ministry also claimed that the States were requested to advise the authorities concerned not to enforce a ban on the selling of poultry and poultry products originating in areas/states free of flu.
“As of 15 January, 2021, Avian Influenza (AI) has been confirmed in wild birds in Burhanpur, Rajgarh, Dindori, Chhindwara, Mandla, Harda, Dhar, Sagar, and Satna districts of Madhya Pradesh (crows and pigeons); Dehradun district of Uttarakhand (Crows and Kite); Rohini in Delhi (crow) and Jaipur Zoo in Rajasthan (Duck and Black Stork),” added the ministry.
The government has stated that attempts are being taken to eradicate bird flu misinformation among individuals and take other measures to increase public consciousness of the disease in general.
The Ministry also wrote to Chief Secretaries/State Administrators/UTs that, as has been recorded every year since 2006, bird flu is not new to the region.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the government announced the outbreak of avian influenza in Chhattisgarh as well, taking the total number of states affected to 11.
The illness has been reported in Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat, in addition to Chhattisgarh.
