Amaravati, February 9 Andhra Pradesh Minister Kinjarapu Atchannaidu said on Monday that the state government was acting with utmost vigilance and had deployed Rapid Response Teams to contain cases of avian influenza (bird flu) reported in the area.
Reports of deaths of local chickens were received from parts of the Chittoor and Annamayya districts, prompting the Animal Husbandry Department to send samples to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) based in Bhopal for testing.
Following confirmation of avian influenza cases in the Annamayya district, the district administration restricted the movement of birds to and from the affected areas.
Officials said that around 40 birds died on Saturday and about 50 on Sunday.
"The government is acting with utmost vigilance, and Rapid Response Teams have been deployed to contain cases of avian influenza identified in the villages of Ammagaripalli and Puttavaripalli in the Sodam mandal of Annamayya district," the Animal Husbandry Minister said in a press release.
He said that the disease was confirmed on February 8 based on reports from the NIHSAD laboratory, following which immediate control measures were initiated in accordance with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
The minister said that RRTs were deployed in the affected areas and culling operations were carried out under the supervision of district collectors, with coordination among the Animal Husbandry, Revenue, Police, Panchayat Raj, and Health departments.
Seeking to allay public fears, Atchannaidu said that there was no need for panic as the virus only affects birds, adding that consumption of properly cooked chicken and eggs is completely safe.
Following reports of sudden bird deaths in the Karvetinagaram mandal of the Chittoor district, veterinary teams conducted inspections and sent samples to NIHSAD for testing, he said, adding that farmers had been advised on biosecurity measures.
According to the minister, culling was completed in two farms on Sunday, while two additional samples from the Sodam and Karvetinagaram mandals were sent to the Bhopal laboratory, and officials were awaiting the results.
He said that Director of Animal Husbandry Damodara Naidu visited the affected areas and advised staff and farmers on disease control protocols, urging poultry farmers to immediately report any abnormal bird deaths.