Alappuzha: Bird flu has been confirmed again in Kuttanad. It is reported that the ducks in Thakazhi panchayath, which was first diagnosed with the disease, will be slaughtered en masse. Thousands of ducks died of the disease in Thakazhi, Nedumudi, and Purakkad panchayats. Delay in test results has increased the prevalence of the disease. The ducks started dying en masse in Alappuzha a few weeks ago. It has now been confirmed that the cause of the disease is the H5N1 virus.
The disease has spread with the delay in getting test results from Bhopal. In Nedumudi panchayath alone, more than 8,000 ducks of three farmers have already died. The disease is spread through the air. The risk to humans is very low. An emergency meeting was held at the Collectorate and the ten-member team was deployed to kill the ducks.
Eleven panchayats have banned the transfer and transportation of ducks and other domestic birds. In the years 2014 and 2016, thousands of ducks died due to bird flu in Alappuzha. The ducks died of bird flu in January this year and bacterial infections in May. Farmers ’work towards the Christmas market is concerned with disease confirmation.
