The deadly avian influenza, H5N1, has been confirmed in one of the 24 domesticated ducks that died at the Sukhna lake here.
In a communiqué received by the UT Administration on Wednesday from the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Union Ministry of Agriculture, it was stated that avian flu was found in one of the ducks sample sent to National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal for testing.Since last week, as many as 24 domesticated ducks have died at city’s prime tourist spot — Sukhna lake. There are more than 100 domesticated ducks at the three sq km long artificial water body, apart from 1000-plus migratory birds that reach Chandigarh every year by mid-November.
Following the detection of bird flu in one of the dead birds, the UT Administration has sounded alert in the Union Territory of Chandigarh.While talking to The Pioneer, UT Home Secretary Anil Kumar confirmed the same and said, “The letter from Union Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed the presence of deadly avian influenza, H5N1, in one of the ducks sample that had died at Sukhna lake.”
He said, “After the confirmation, advisory has been issued in the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Prevention and control measures would be implemented in the city. As per the guidelines for bird flu, the UT Administration will carry out the culling of around 100 domesticated ducks at Sukhna lake. These infected ducks have already been isolated and the area has been cordoned off.”A meeting has been convened on Wednesday and the concerned Departments including Forest and Wildlife, CITCO, Animal Husbandry and Health Department have been asked to take immediate precautionary steps to prevent the outbreak of the bird flu, added the UT Home Secretary.
The UT Administration had stopped boating during Wednesday’s afternoon at the lake. The Administration has appointed Prince Dhawan, Director, UT Animal and Husbandry Department as nodal officer to contain the bird flu outbreak in the city. Firstly, the test on six of the dead ducks from the Sukhna lake were carried out at the Regional Disease Diagnostic laboratory, Jalandhar, which had then further sent the samples to NIHSAD at Bhopal to conduct advanced tests.
The Jalandhar lab had earlier confirmed no signs of H5N1 in the dead ducks but could not find out the exact reason of the death of domesticated ducks. The UT Wildlife Department was previously apprehending starvation, lung infection, liver infection and severe cold conditions as major factors for the death of these domesticated ducks.To protect these domesticated birds from severe cold conditions and provide them with food, the UT Wildlife Department had on Monday created a shelter at lake’s island and had been providing food to these birds.
According to the guidelines issued by World Health Organisation (WHO), H5N1 avian influenza is an infectious disease of birds that can be spread to people, but is difficult to transmit from person to person. Almost all people with H5N1 infection have had close contact with infected birds or H5N1-contaminated environments.
When people do become infected, the mortality rate is about 60 per cent. Also, humans can become ill when infected with viruses from animal sources, such as avian influenza virus subtypes H5N1.As per the guidelines, the avian flu, which can spread between birds and onto humans as it is contagious and packs high mortality, birds within a radius of 1 km have to be culled.In November, the outbreak of avian flu was reported in Kerala and the State Government had ordered culling lakhs of birds.