The Hindu Business Line : Bird flu: No panic in Kerala

PRELIMINARY REPORTS indicated that the death of fouls and other birds in Malappuram, Kozhikode and some other parts of the State were not because of bird flu.

Thiruvananthapuram , Feb. 23

The State Government has clarified that there was no ban on import of poultry or poultry feed from States other than Maharashtra.

Announcing this to newspersons after a meeting of the Cabinet, the Chief Minister, Mr Oommen Chandy, and the Agriculture Minister, Ms K.R. Gouri, said that import of poultry into the State would, however, be subject to conditions.

Chicken and duck stock being brought in should carry certificates from Assistant Directors (Animal Husbandry) of the respective States. But the Chief Minister reiterated that there was a complete ban on shipping in of manure made from chicken waste or droppings. All steps have been initiated for preventing the outbreak of avian flu in the State. Preliminary investigations had revealed that the death of chicken reported from Kozhikode and Malappuram was because of other reasons. However, blood samples have been sent for analysis as a precautionary measure.

Agencies add: Meanwhile, about 2,500 ducklings have been culled as a preventive measure in Kollam on the orders of the Animal Husbandary RDepartment. The two-week-old fowls were found to have been smuggled into the State from Erode in Tamil Nadu.

Since the vendor who smuggled in the ducklings failed to produce any disease free certificate, the District Collector, Mr B. Sreenivas, directed the city corporation to effect the culling process with the help of veterinary doctors.

The ducklings kept at Kavanad in Kollam town were given tranquiliser-mixed feed and then taken to a graveyard in the town where they were burnt en masse.

"There was no evidence of the fowls suffering from any disease. But it is better avoid risk since they were brought without proper documents prescribed by the government in the wake of bird flue alert," the District Veterinary Officer, Dr Padmakumar, told PTI in Kollam.

Samples collected from the fowls had been sent to High Security Laboratory in Bhopal for detailed analysis.

Stray cases of birds' death were reported from Malappuram, Alappuzha and Kozhikode districts but the Animal Husbandry Department attributed them to common diseases such as Ranikhet or cocceidiosis.

The death of a large number of home-reared chickens since last week in a village in Malappuram caused concern in the area but preliminary tests showed Ranikhet' was the cause as vaccination for that particular area was not afflicted.

Water-logged Kuttanad in Alappuzha district, a habitat for a variety of water-fowls, is under close observation as also the bird sanctuary at Tattekkad near Tiruvalla, visited by migratory birds.

Inspections at border check posts in all parts of the State had been stepped up. In Kollam, special arrangement had been made at Aryankavu on Tamil Nadu border to check the arrival of poultry into the State.

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