Union Minister of State for Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on July 30, revealed that chicken flu outbreaks in home poultry have been reported from Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha.
Thus far, 41 circumstances have been recorded this 12 months, in comparison with 49 in 2024. The very best variety of circumstances within the final 5 years was in 2021, with 118 reported incidents.
Curiously, the federal government has additionally confirmed sporadic circumstances of chicken flu in non-avian species, together with tiger, lion, leopard, jungle cat, and home cat, indicating a broader host vary than sometimes anticipated.
To handle the risk, the federal government has undertaken a number of initiatives aimed toward prevention, surveillance, and fast response:
- The Nationwide Motion Plan for Prevention, Management, and Containment of Avian Influenza (Revised 2021) outlines protocols for preparedness, identification, culling, motion restrictions, and biosecurity measures. It additionally requires energetic surveillance in poultry farms, reside chicken markets, and migratory chicken habitats.
- Advisories have been issued to all States and UTs to spice up preparedness forward of the winter migratory chicken season, together with strengthening coordination with wildlife and well being departments below the ‘One Well being' method, imposing strict biosecurity in poultry farms, and forming Fast Response Groups (RRTs).
- The Poultry Illness Motion Plan, 2024 has been launched to advertise a disease-free poultry sector with biosecurity pointers tailor-made for each yard and business farms.
- Underneath the Help to States for Management of Animal Illness (ASCAD) scheme, monetary help is offered for compensating poultry homeowners for chicken culling, strengthening laboratories, analysis, coaching, and public consciousness.
- A Nationwide Joint Outbreak Response Group (NJORT), comprising officers from key businesses just like the Division of Animal Husbandry, Nationwide Centre for Illness Management, ICMR, and ICAR, has been set as much as examine and include outbreaks.
- To make sure continuity in poultry commerce throughout localized outbreaks, the federal government is enabling the creation of avian influenza-free compartments for poultry merchandise, in keeping with worldwide (WOAH) pointers.
- The usage of the Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H9N2) vaccine, developed utilizing an indigenous seed pressure, has been authorized to assist illness prevention.
- An AI-powered early warning system, developed below the Nationwide Animal Illness Referral Professional System (NADRES_v2) by ICAR-NIVEDI, now provides illness forecasts as much as two months prematurely to assist with early preparedness and response.
The minister emphasised that these coordinated efforts are essential to minimizing the unfold of Avian Influenza and defending each animal and public well being.
