Region’s bird samples test negative for avian flu

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 27

Samples of birds sent to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (RDDL), Jalandhar, and High Security Animal Disease Laboratory at Bhopal have tested negative for avian influenza.

Dr Vinay Mohan, Joint Director, RDDL, said all samples of birds, including poultry from Shimla, migratory birds from Jind, crows in Tarn Taran and Pinjore and a duck from Faridkot tested negative for bird flu. He said reports of samples sent to Bhopal also corroborated the report.

Ruling out bird flu, experts said the birds could have died of poisoning, possibly pesticides sprayed by farmers in the fields, or some toxic matter flowing in water bodies.

There was H5N1 (avian flu) scare in the region after a sample of a dead duck from Sukhna Lake in Chandigarh was found positive by the Bhopal laboratory on December 18. Three days later, 500 crows were found dead in Tarn Taran and Pinjore. There were reports of 14 bar-headed geese dying in Jind and a duck also died in Faridkot the same day. Three days ago, a few crows and two herons were found dead in Nawanshahr.

Around 300 broilers were found dead in the Municipal Corporation slaughterhouse in Shimla and the MC authorities had to destroy the remaining lot of 2,700 chicks.

Veterinary experts at the Jalandhar laboratory have since been getting samples of dead birds from across the region. "The bird flu scare is such that even if a sparrow or a crow dies due to cold, people call us for taking sample suspecting it to be a case of avian flu," said Dr Vinay Mohan.

The sale of poultry products had dipped in the region following the bird flu scare. Poultry farmers had to even put up stalls offering free chicken and eggs to promote sales.