Karnataka on alert to contain bird flu spread, blocks poultry from Kerala

Mysore (Karnataka) [India], January 6 : Karnataka is on high alert to contain the spread of avian influenza as it blocked entry of poultry and other birds from Kerala on Wednesday.
The district administration at the Bodhi check post in the Kote taluk of Mysore-Kerala Border blocked the entry of poultry from Kerala following the bird flu outbreak in the state, informed Mysore District Collector Rohini Sindhuri.
The step comes after avian flu took lives of thousands of ducks in Kerala. Both the state governments -- Kerala and Karnataka -- have been on alert since then.
Several steps have been taken to sanitise the vehicles coming from Kerala to Karnataka to avoid any kind of disease spread. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medical Services has increased security at the border check posts.
District Collector Sindhuri directed in a notice that chickens, wild birds, pet birds and migratory birds should be notified with the authorities before transportation and immigration. The Department of Animal Husbandry should immediately be informed if any birds have unnatural symptoms or unnatural deaths. "Officials of the department have been closely monitored and informed about the risk of avian influenza in the laboratory," she added.
The taluk level authorities have been advised to monitor the movement of live poultry and meat transport vehicles and to take appropriate action according to the circumstances.
Earlier, the Kerala government declared bird-flu as a state-specific disaster and issued a high alert after the outbreak of bird flu was confirmed in various parts of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts. Tamil Nadu government has also activated all its check posts to prevent the entry of poultry from Kerala.