Bird Flu Confirmed in 9 States

Delhi and Maharashtra have confirmed the outbreak of the bird flu or avian influenza on January 11. After this confirmation, now 9 states in the country have been affected by bird flu.

Key Points

• The other states where the Avian Influenza or Bird Flu outbreak has been confirmed are- Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat.
• As per the reports, 8 samples were sent for examination from Delhi and all 8 of them have been found positive for avian influenza.
• The Bird flu was confirmed in Maharashtra after 800 chickens were found dead at Murumba village in Parbhani district of the state.
• After this, the samples of the dead chickens were sent to the National Laboratory for examination. The reports confirmed that the sample sent were positive to bird flu.
• The Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying have formed central teams for monitoring the spread of bird flu in the country. These teams will visit the affected states and review the situation.

Avian influenza or Bird flu

Bird Flu or Avian influenza is an infectious disease that is occurred mostly in birds due to viruses. As birds are most affected by this, the disease is commonly known as Bird Flu. Avian Influenza is caused due to Type A viruses. These viruses generally do not affect humans. However, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), sporadic human infections with avian flu viruses have been reported.