After Rajasthan confirmed a bird flu outbreak in the desert state, 140 more crows have died in six districts of state, official said.
Of these, 35 crows died in Sawai Madhopur, 53 in Bikaner, 22 in Jhalawar, 17 in Baran, nine in Pali and seven in Banswara. In the last one week, a total of 522 birds have died in Rajasthan, out of which 471 were crows, while others include heron and baya weaver.
On Monday, around 13 samples were sent to Bhopal for further testing for avian influenza. The H5N1 virus currently detected among bird population in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh can be transmitted to human bird and the spread can turn fatal, especially amid the Covid-19 outbreak, experts say.
"We are working on a strategy to take immediate action for checking the infection. Our teams are tracking all such cases without delay and disposing them of with particular caution," Mohanlal Meena, Chief Wildlife warden, told IANS.
"This strategy is being implemented in all districts. We have formed joint teams of the Veterinary Department, district administration and Forest Department and all of us are working together to contain the infection," he added.
Meanwhile, Himachal Pradesh now is the fifth state in the country to confirm bird flu cases. This comes after the virus was detected in, Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
While lakhs of poultry were reported dead from Haryana, migratory birds died in Himachal Pradesh. In Madhya Pradesh, hundreds of crows were found dead in the last week. Around 1,800 migratory birds, are reportedly found dead in the lake sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh.
On the other side, reports say that Kerala plans to cull around 40,000 birds as a virus H1N8 was detected in the state. The Hindu stated that the Kottayam and Alappuzha districts were put on high alert and birds in the 1 km of the infected areas would be culled.
Bird flu is an infectious and respiratory disease in birds caused by the H5N1 influenza virus, which can infect humans occasionally.
(With inputs from IANS)