Centre puts all poultry farms on watch amid bird flu sprea

The directive comes amid continued detection of the H5N1 virus in several regions of the country, with officials confirming outbreaks at 34 epicentres spanning eight states: Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.

A high-level meeting was held at Krishi Bhavan on Friday evening with poultry industry representatives, officials from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, and other stakeholders, chaired by secretary Alka Upadhyaya, to “discuss urgent measures to contain the disease and prevent its spread,” one of these officials said, asking not to be named.

This person added that the registrations must be made with the state animal husbandry departments.

While H5N1 typically affects birds, officials noted that instances of interspecies transmission in India. Sources said that fewer than 10 cases have tested positive in mammals so far.

The first case in a mammal this year was confirmed in a tiger on January 1 at a rescue centre in Nagpur, and the most recent in a “wild cat” in Goa during the last week of March.

Additionally, three tigers, one leopard, three pet cats, and a migratory bird in Rajasthan have tested positive for the virus, in line with the experience in other parts of the world.

This pattern of cross-species transmission, while concerning, is not unprecedented.