Around 12 states confirm infection of Bird Flu

The Centre on Sunday confirmed bird flu in nine states for poultry birds, reported ANI.  “Till 24th January, 2021 outbreaks of Avian Influenza (bird flu) have been confirmed in 9 States (Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab) for poultry birds,” ANI quoted a statement by Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

The flu has been confirmed in 12 states so far –– Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab –– for crow, migratory or wild birds.

“However, crow/pigeon samples submitted



from Rudraprayag, Lansdowne Forest Range and Paudi Forest Range of Uttarakhand; pigeon samples from Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan; crow and peacock samples from Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh have been found negative for Avian Influenza,” the statement said.

Varanasi district magistrate Kaushal Raj Sharma has said action will be taken against the boatmen who did not follow the guidelines laid down by the administration and allowed tourists on their boats to feed the birds amid flu, reported ANI. The action comes after a photo shared on social media by cricketer Shikhar Dhawan in which he was seen feeding birds during a boat ride in Varanasi amid bird flu raised concerns among netizens.