Alappuzha has bird flu, and the government has ordered the slaughter of nearly 20,000 poultry birds.

Following a revelation that the recent deaths of ducks in Haripad in Kerala’s Alappuzha district were caused by avian influenza, about 20,471 poultry birds would be put down.

Bird flu, often known as avian influenza, was found in chicks from two poultry farms in the 9th ward of the Haripad municipality in Vazhuthanam West and Vazhuthanam North.

During examinations at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, the H5N1 virus was found in the samples.

In order to deliberate on immediate preventive actions, including the culling of domestic birds, District Collector VR Krishna Teja presided over an emergency meeting on Wednesday.

According to official guidelines, every poultry within a kilometre of the affected region would be killed.

There are currently eight fast reaction teams on the scene. The duty of setting up the requisite infrastructure for the culling has been delegated to the representatives of Pallippad gramme panchayat and Haripad municipality.

Domestic birds are not permitted to be transported within or outside of this area of one kilometre. Officials from the police and revenue departments are in charge of keeping an eye on this.

The Collector also requested the Health Department to step up security measures to stop the spread of avian flu to people.

In the meantime, the animal welfare division came to the conclusion that the few ducks that perished close to Nedumudi in Kuttanad were not caused by bird flu.

Avian influenza, often known as bird flu, is primarily brought into India by migratory birds between the months of September and March. It is a zoonotic illness.