Bird Flu Reaches Delhi Zoo After Sample Of Owl Confirmed To Be Positive

The total count of states with confirmed cases of Bird Flu has reached 10. It includes Maharashtra, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

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New Delhi: National Zoological Park had confirmed its first case of Bird Flu on Saturday after the national capital reported the first cases earlier this week.

An owl had died in its captivity on Monday and its samples were taken for testing. The report has come out to be positive. The zoo is being sanitized after this development.

"The zoo witnessed the death of a brown fish owl in its captivity. Its cloacal, tracheal and ocular swabs were sent to the animal husbandry unit of the Delhi government for serological examination," Zoo Director Ramesh Pandey said.

Under real-time RT-PCR test done by Bhopal's ICAR-National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease (NIHSAD), the samples were found to be positive for Bird flu.

Chicken feed to raptors and entry of vehicles inside the zoo has been stopped and movement of staff is also being restricted and regulated, a press release issued by the Zoo administration informed.

Delhi imposed a complete ban on the sale of processed and packaged chicken brought from outside the city after testing samples of crows and ducks confirmed bird flu cases on Monday.

The total count of states with confirmed cases has reached 10. It includes Maharashtra, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

States have been asked to build awareness among the public and avoid the spread of misinformation. The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying wrote in a statement, "States/ UTs have been requested to increase surveillance around water bodies, live bird markets, zoos, poultry farms, etc. along with proper disposal of carcass, and strengthening of biosecurity in poultry farms".

Officials have also tried to allay fears of those consuming poultry products, saying there is no risk of infection from fully cooked chicken, or boiled and cooked eggs as the virus cannot withstand high temperatures.