Representational Image  |  Photo Credit: PTI
Mumbai: There has been a bird flu scare in Maharashtra. It has been reported that around 100 chickens died suddenly at a poultry farm in the state’s Thane district. Thane District Magistrate and Collector Rajesh J Narvekar said the chicken deaths took place in Vehloli village of Shahapur tehsil due to bird flu. The official said the animals’ samples were sent to a lab in Pune to confirm if it indeed was a case of bird flu. The results were positive.
Narvekar said as a precautionary measure, around 25,000 birds in a radius of a kilometre from the affected poultry farm will be culled within the next few days. “The district animal husbandry department has been ordered to take measures to control the infection,” the Thane DM stated.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Thane Zilla Parishad, Dr Bhausaheb Dangde, also confirmed that the birds had died due to H5N1 avian influenza.
The district authorities have informed the Union Ministry of Fisheries and Animal Husbandry about the detection of bird flu cases.
Bird flu, whose scientific name is avian influenza, is an infectious viral disease found in birds, largely among wild waterfowl like ducks and geese. Scientists say the virus is carried by wild birds without showing symptoms and it is transmitted to poultry through feathers or faeces.