Bird Flu: Uttarakhand on alert as reports of bird deaths increase

After the outbreak of bird flu in Gujarat, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Kerala, the possibility of outbreak of bird flu has also deepened in Uttarakhand. Another crow was found dead in the capital Dehradun on Wednesday. The dead bird is being sent to Bhopal for investigation.After corona, now the avian influenza virus from migratory birds has created a stir. Several states, including the neighboring Himalayan state Himachal, are vulnerable to bird flu. The virus is believed to have spread from Wetland. A large number of guest birds visit the wetland, because of which the infection spreads rapidly.

Wetland and Migratory Birds

Uttarakhand also has more than 80 Wetlands but there are four big Wetlands among them. These are Asan Wetland, Jhilmil Lake Wetland, Pavalgarh Wetland, Naina Devi Himalaya Wetland. Thousands of migratory birds come in them. Apart from this, a large number of birds from the higher Himalayan regions in Uttarakhand also turn to the lower regions, which often make the forests their base.

Dr. Dhananjay Mohan, Director and Bird Specialist of Wildlife Institute of India, says that in Uttarakhand, a large number of migratory birds from Central Asia and Siberia also turn to Wetland.

On Tuesday, 626 more birds were found dead in Rajasthan. With this, the number of bird flu affected districts in the state has increased to 16. Samples of five birds sent for investigation from Jhunjhunu district have been found infected. However, it is a matter of relief that during the investigation, infection has not been found in the samples sent from Bharatpur and Jodhpur.

Jaipur has the highest number of bird deaths. So far 686 birds have died in Jaipur. 433 birds have died in Jhalawar, while not a single bird has died in Udaipur.
Central government took this decision.

The Center said on Tuesday that it has issued a consultation to the states regarding screening rules in connection with bird flu and has also asked them to maintain adequate stock of PPE Kit and other essential equipment to kill birds. As of Monday, bird flu was confirmed in ten states / union territories – Delhi, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Gujarat. Apart from this, the central government said that so far the bird flu outbreak has been confirmed in 10 states. The government also asked the states not to close the rooster markets or to prohibit the sale of poultry products, as no scientific report of bird flu transmission in humans has come out, amidst all steps to prevent this.