New Delhi, Jan 13 (IANS): Cases of avian influenza or bird flu have been confirmed in 10 states only, as on Wednesday, while further cases of unnatural mortality of birds have been reported in Jammu and Kashmir's Ganderbal and four districts of Jharkhand, an official statement said.
The Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, in a statement, said that states were asked to ensure that the infection does not spread among poultry, as it would have a high economic costfor the poultry farmers but it was found that many states are banning supply of poultry and poultry products from other states.
As this would add to the negative impact on the poultry industry, the states were requested to reconsider such decision, it said.
The Ministry said that a meet, via video conference, was organised on Tuesday, under the chairmanship of its Secretary, and attended by representatives from 17 states, wjere states were asked to efficiently manage the spread of avian influenza in their respective states in accordance with the Action Plan 2021.
"To deal with the situation, the states were asked to coordinate with the department of health and forest and sensitise them about the issue. States were also asked to maintain sufficient supply of protective equipment and maintain bio-security measures in poultry farms. States were also directed to identify BSL-II labs at the state level for speeding up the identification of infection in the state and timely introduction of control mechanism," it said.
Noting that awareness generation activities through newspaper advertisements, seminars etc are being conducted by several states, it said that states were encouraged to continue such awareness generation activities with support from their state Directorate of Information and Public Relations and were assured about availability of funds for such activities.
States should also issue advisories on Dos and Don'ts regarding consumption of poultry and eggs, so as to avoid spreading of rumours/misinformation thereby leading to economic loss for the poultry farmers, the statement said.