Bird Flu Outbreak: No case of avian influenza in Karnataka, says Health Minister

Amid the raging bird influenza, Karnataka on Sunday confirmed that no case of the bird flu had been detected in the state to date. While speaking to news agency ANI, Karnataka Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar said, "There is no bird flu case in Karnataka." 

While Karnataka evades the bird flu for now, poultry business has already started to get affected in the state. According to chicken vendors, the business has come down by almost 25-30 per cent amidst fear of the outbreak. 

"What business will be done when it is being reported that Avian influenza, popularly known as bird flu, has spread in the country. Some people name chicken, duck and crows as being affected by bird flu. Business is running at 25-30 per cent," Chicken vendor Mohammed Mustafa said. "At the last moment, everything comes on chicken. Farmers lower the rates and the public start consuming less. People ask that is there any disease affecting the chicken and those who used to buy two to three kgs end up buying only half a kg. Business is badly affected in this environment," he added.

Read: Militants, Thieves Enjoying Biryani, Plotting To Spread Bird Flu: BJP MLA On Farmers' Stir

Read: Bird Flu Outbreak : Delhi Bans Import Of Live Birds, Shuts Ghazipur Poultry Market

Bird flu spreads across India

Bird flu was first witnessed in Rajasthan's Jhalawar district where nearly 50 crows within a kilometre dropped dead. It later spread across states of Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh which have begun reporting large-scale avian deaths. 

Yesterday, Delhi witnessed a massive scare after birds were found dropping dead in Jasola park and Sanjay Lake. As a precautionary measure, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced a ban on the import of live birds in the national capital and said that the Ghazipur poultry market will remain closed. 

On January 5, the Union Health Ministry deployed multi-disciplinary teams to the affected districts to review the situation of Avian Influenza. Two teams comprising of experts from the National Center for Disease Control, National Institute of Virology, PGIMER and RML Hospital and the Lady Hardinge Medical College have been sent to Kerala and Haryana. As of now, no case of a transfer of bird influenza has been found in humans. 

Read: MP: Amid Bird Flu Cases, 5 Peacocks Found Dead In Jhabua

Read: 3-day State Bird Festival To Be Held From Jan 15 In Bihar's Jamui District

(With Agency Inputs)