Bird flu outbreak in Bengaluru; thousands of birds culled

An H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in Bengaluru’s Hesaraghatta area led to culling of birds and eggs, creation of infected and surveillance zones, and intensified monitoring, with authorities urging caution but confirming properly cooked poultry remains safe

Bengaluru: An outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza has been confirmed at a poultry rearing training centre, based on a report issued by the NIHSAD, with authorities initiating all containment measures as per protocol, officials said on Friday. The outbreak was reported from Mathkuru village in Hesaraghatta, following the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases report dated April 14, they said.
According to the health department, the State Rapid Response Team (RRT), District RRT, and Primary Health Centre (PHC) team visited the site on April 16.

Mathkuru village has been declared an “infected zone” (0-3 km), while the surrounding 3-10 km area under PHC Hesaraghatta and Sonnenahalli has been declared a surveillance zone, officials said.
A total of 7,444 birds, 14,788 eggs, and 2,250 kg of poultry feed were culled and scientifically disposed of by the veterinary department on April 15.

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The burial site has been secured and declared a prohibited area for one year, the department said in a statement. Ten cullers have been quarantined and are under medical supervision with oseltamivir prophylaxis, officials said.

Two villages with a population of 3,422 fall within the 0-3 km zone, while 17 villages with a population of 22,395 fall within the 3-10 km zone. Teams of health workers and ASHAs will conduct daily house-to-house fever surveillance, they added.

The health department said private hospitals have also been alerted to report Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) cases on the Integrated Health Information Platform (IHIP) portal.

Adequate stocks of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), triple-layer masks, oseltamivir, Viral Transport Medium (VTM), and throat swabs are available, it said.
The department advised the public not to panic and to avoid contact with sick or dead birds, and to report such cases to local veterinary or health authorities. It, however, clarified that consumption of properly cooked poultry meat and eggs is safe.