Public urged not to eat chicken as bird flu confirmed in East Godavari district

RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM : A bird flu alert has been issued in East Godavari district after lab reports of several dead chickens at a poultry farm in Peravali mandal confirmed the presence of the avian influenza virus.

Following the unusual deaths of chickens at a poultry farm in Kanuru village, Peravali mandal, Animal Husbandry authorities sent blood and stool samples of the dead chickens to the Bhopal-based National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) and labs in Pune for testing.

The report confirmed the presence of the H5N1 virus among the poultry. Steps have been taken to cull chickens within a one-kilometre radius of Kanuru village.

District Collector P Prasanthi convened an emergency meeting on Monday with officials from the Animal Husbandry, Forest, Police, Revenue, and other departments to discuss a comprehensive plan to manage the virus, which has been affecting poultry birds in the Godavari belt for the past few days. A one-kilometre radius around Kanuru village has been declared a red zone.

She directed the police to impose Section 144 within a one-kilometre radius of the village. All poultry birds within this area will be culled and buried to contain the infection.

So far, 75 per cent of the dead birds have either been burned or buried. The Police, Transport, and Revenue departments have been asked to submit a report on the transportation of chickens to other areas over the past week.

All roads leading to Kanuru village, located 35 km from Rajamahendravaram, 15 km from Nidadavolu, and Tanuku town, have been closed.

Animal husbandry teams will also cull backyard poultry within the one-kilometre zone. Authorities have declared a 10-kilometre radius around the infected site as a surveillance zone and will conduct regular checks.

Rapid Response Teams formed to handle crisis in red zone

Chicken shops within this 10-kilometre radius will be closed, and medical tests will be carried out on staff working in chicken centres. A control room has been set up with the phone number 9542908025.

Rajamahendravaram, Nidadavolu, and Kovvur municipal authorities have started taking precautions and alerted the public to reduce chicken consumption for the next few days. Poultry owners are warned not to dispose of birds in canals or as roadside waste.

Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) have been formed to handle the crisis. Forest officials have been directed to prepare a list of migratory birds to the district in order to track the deaths of birds in both plain and forest areas.

High mortality rates among chickens have been reported in Nallajerala, Seethanagaram, and Mirthipadu areas, with officials advising the authorities concerned to declare a red zone up to one kilometre from the poultry farms in these areas. Police have set up integrated check posts across the district.

Tourism Minister Kandula Durgesh reported that as many as 50,000 birds have died at the Kanuru Agraharam poultry in Nidadavolu due to bird flu.

Urging the public not to panic, he assured that the dead chickens have been buried and that officials are taking all necessary precautionary measures to prevent the virus from spreading.

He said that officials have begun a sanitation programme in all poultry farms in Nidadavolu. He advised the public to refrain from consuming eggs and chicken for a few days and urged poultry owners to strictly implement biosecurity measures.

He also warned against the sale of dead chickens to meat shops. The vaccination process will begin immediately in all poultry farms.