Agartala, Feb 2 (IANS) Over 6,200 poultry birds and ducks were culled in Tripura after reports of a fresh outbreak of bird flu, officials said here Thursday.
The culling was done in Lembuchara area of western Tripura. “Mopping up operations and disinfection of poultry farms, birds and ducks enclosures and cages have begun,” Tripura animal resource development department director Manoranjan Sarkar told IANS.
In addition to culling, huge quantities of eggs and feed material have been destroyed and compensation has been given to the affected people.
He said the Tripura government had imposed a ban on the import of poultry birds, ducks and other poultry products from outside the state.
“Nurturing of poultry birds and ducks in the flu-hit villages and in a three kilometre radius has also been banned for the next three months,” Sarkar added.
Samples of sick poultry birds from the Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) farm were found to contain H5 strain of avian influenza virus last week. “The samples have been tested and found positive by the High Security Animal Disease Laboratory in Bhopal,” the official said.
The ICAR farm, 25 km north of Agartala, is surrounded by several villages.
“We have asked the BSF (Border Security Force) to maintain a vigil along the 856 km Indo-Bangladesh border with Tripura to prevent illegal trade of poultry and poultry products,” the director said.
