The Animal Husbandry Department (New Delhi) on Monday confirmed that the samples of the dead ducks and crows that were sent there for testing were tested positive for Bird flu. “Eight samples from dead crows and ducks were sent for testing. All the samples tested positive for avian flu”, announced the organization.
Contextually, on Sunday, at least 27 ducks and 91 crows were found dead in the 15 DDA (Delhi Development Authority) Parks area in Delhi. An official release also stated that Green Area Sanjay Lake at Trilokpuri Phase-I, II, and III were declared to be alert zones for avian flu, while around 24 crows were also found dead at District Park and Plantation at Sarita Vihar, an area which is situated in the south-east Delhi. Again, around 16 crows were found dead in Hastsal Park. As a precautionary measure, the Delhi government has closed the area at once, and it will be closed till further orders. 4 more crows were found dead at the central nursery located in Sector 5, Dwarka.
Amidst the panic-stricken situation across the states and efforts to curb the spread, few states have already confirmed Avian flu as the cause of the recent bird-deaths. Along with Delhi and Maharashtra, states that had earlier confirmed cases of bird flu, are Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Gujarat, while Haryana has recorded the most number of bird deaths (around 4 lakhs).
Another Indian state and a union territory are on alert regarding the case, which is Chhattisgarh and J&K respectively. The dead birds have been buried deep down under the ground in order to curb the further spread. A meeting has been scheduled between the Ministry of Animal Husbandry and the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, where the availability of vaccines for the same will be discussed.