Fears of a bird flu outbreak spread through Bengaluru after a confirmed case of a dead chickens infected with H5N1 virus was reported at Dasarahalli near Yelahanka in north Bengaluru.
The scare comes more than five years after the last reported bird flu scare in the city in October 2012.
A few days ago, a chicken stall in Dasarahalli reported that all the chicken at the stall died. Alarmed by this, officials collected samples and had them tested at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal. Only one bird tested positive for the H5N1 virus.
After the case was confirmed, all chicken stalls in Dasarahalli were immediately closed down to prevent the chance of the virus spreading.
The Health Department assured that there was no reason to panic. "We closed KGN meat shop on December 30 and will hold a medical examination on five people working there on Wednesday. Officials checked people in 40 houses in Dasarahalli and did not find anyone infected with the flu," District Malaria Officer Dr Sunanda Reddy said speaking to Deccan Herald.
Precautionary measures have been put in place as officials have begun screening poultry in Shivaji Nagar and KR Market. “The reports arrived on Tuesday afternoon, following which measures to contain the virus were put in place,” said Sarfaraz Khan, Joint Commissioner, Health, BBMP speaking to The Hindu.
Officials are trying to determine where the chicken was sourced from while the government issued a notification marking an area of one km radius from the chicken stall in Dasarahalli as an infected area.
Thousands of chicken and duck were culled in Bengaluru when there was an outbreak of bird flu in 2012.
Bird flu is a fever affecting birds including chicken, duck and swan due to H1N1 virus. The virus can also be contracted when humans come into contact with an infected bird.