Central Team To Visit On 4th & 5th Sept To review the Situation of Bird Flu In Odisha

A Central delegation is expected to visit the state on September 4 and 5 to evaluate the situation in light of the current bird flu outbreak in Odisha. This came to light on Monday during a high-level review meeting that was held virtually. A press release from the government of India states that senior officials from several departments, including Forest, Environment & Climate Change, Health & Family Welfare, and Fisheries & Animal Resources Development, as well as representatives from the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation and district collectors from Puri, Kendrapada, and Khordha, attended the meeting. Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja also attended.

Four places in the Puri district have confirmed cases of Avian Influenza: Pipili, Satyabadi, Nimapada, and Delanga blocks. According to the Government of India’s Action Plan, control and containment measures are in place. While work is still ongoing in Delanga and Nimapada, operations have been completed in Pipili and Satyabadi. Within the afflicted areas, 51 Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) are engaged in bird disposal, culling, and sanitation operations. 15,380 kg of chicken feed, 84 eggs, and 35,329 birds have been destroyed so far. The state has given the impacted farmers compensation totaling Rs 10,94,572 for the grain, eggs, and birds they lost.

Chief Secretary Ahuja has ordered steps to stop poultry and associated goods from entering the afflicted zones, as well as to step up clinical surveillance and public awareness efforts in the surrounding districts. A sampling plan is also being created for the serum sample collecting process. The samples will be delivered to specific laboratories for continuous monitoring. Burial sites must also be mapped, guarded, and published to an official website. Alaka Upadhyay, the Secretary of DAHD, underscored the need to register and map all commercial poultry farms while assuring the state of the federal government’s full cooperation. The Indian government lauded the Odisha government for paying compensation to chicken producers promptly.