chickens
© iStockFILE
Amid a bird flu outbreak in Ranchi, two doctors and six staff members of the Regional Poultry Farm in Hotwar have been quarantined at the JSIA building in Ranchi, which has been converted into a bird flu ward.

According to officials, a team of medical experts from Ranchi have taken the samples of infected people.

Almost all cases of H5N1 infection in people have been associated with close contact with infected live or dead birds or H5N1-contaminated environments.

The Ministry of Animal Husbandry has implemented various measures following the confirmation of the bird flu outbreak, including a complete ban on the sale and purchase of all birds and conducting surveys around the epicentre.

indian bird flu
Ranchi Deputy Commissioner Rahul Kumar Sinha said, "Bird Flu has been confirmed in Ranchi. As soon as bird flu was confirmed, a series of actions take place under the guidelines mentioned in the Ministry of Animal Husbandry. The first action is a total ban on the sale and purchase of all birds in one kilometre radius of the epicentre."

The district administration has deployed a team consisting of the District Animal Husbandry Office, Municipal Corporation, Police, and Magistrate to contain the spread of bird flu.

In this context, advisories have been published in newspapers, and the administration is ensuring the implementation of all necessary precautionary measures.

The Animal Husbandry Directorate, Ranchi, has formed a Rapid Response Team (RRT) to cull poultry and clean and disinfect infected areas within a one-kilometre radius of the epicentre in the Hotwa poultry area.

Dr Santosh Kumar, a meat technologist at the Regional Poultry Farm, stated, "In the one km radius, all chickens and eggs will be disposed of. We will tell all farmers and shopkeepers not to bring any outside poultry. Until we do not receive a negative report, we will ask them not to farm chicken."

Following the District Collector's orders, approximately 1,745 chickens, 450 ducks, and 1,697 eggs have been disposed of.

H5N1, or Highly Pathogenic Asian Avian Influenza (H5N1) Virus, is a strain of the influenza virus that primarily affects birds but can also infect humans through close contact with infected live or dead birds or H5N1-contaminated environments.