1,800 chickens dead at Kerala state-run farm due to bird flu outbreak: reports

A deadly outbreak of bird flu has been reported from a government poultry farm in Kozhikode district of Kerala.

Around 1,800 chickens have died so far due to the disease, as per sources quoted by news agency PTI. The presence of H5N1 variant at the farm managed by the panchayat was confirmed on 11 January 2023.

As initial tests indicated the outbreak of bird flu, the samples were sent to the high security lab in Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) for accurate diagnosis which confirmed the avian influenza, a government statement said.

There were over 5,000 chickens in the farm and of them 1,800 died so far due to the infection.

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Culling and other measures would be undertaken with the coordination of various government departments under the aegis of the district authorities, it added.

(With PTI inputs)