Despite India's federal government urging state governments to take all possible steps to urgently contain the spread of bird flu, the state of Maharashtra has become the ninth to confirm the presence of avian flu. Over 800 chickens were found dead of the flu in the Parbhani district of the state. Crows have also been found dead in the financial capital of Mumbai.
Three days ago, 800 chickens in Murumba village died due to bird flu. District administration had sent blood samples of dead chickens to National Laboratory. Reports confirm that the chickens died of bird flu: Deepak Mughlikar, District Collector, Parbhani. #Maharashtra
— ANI (@ANI) January 11, 2021
On Sunday, authorities in the Indian capital Delhi declared an alert as 17 more ducks were found dead. This happened soon after the authorities had closed a lake due to the death of 10 ducks. Because to the bird flu scare, the Delhi government has already closed the poultry market for 10 days.
Under the guidelines prepared by India's Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying in 2015, the birds affected by avian influenza show symptoms such as tremors, diarrhoea, head tilt, and paralysis.
Outbreaks of bird flu have also been recently detected in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, northern Germany, and Belgium. According to the World Health Organisation, "Meat products and eggs can be safely consumed, provided they are properly prepared because influenza viruses are inactivated by thorough cooking".
