Bird flu: Chicken, egg shops shut in parts of Madhya Pradesh for 15 days

Hundreds of crows have died of the H5N8 avian flu in Madhya Pradesh (Image: Wikimedia)

Shops selling chicken, eggs, and other poultry products have been closed for 15 days in Mandsaur, Madhya Pradesh.

The Mandsaur administration has ordered the closure of all shops selling chicken and eggs to contain the spread of the bird flu in the city, reported India Today.

After hundreds of crows were found dead in 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh including in Indore, authorities got samples tested to learn that there has been an outbreak of the H5N8 sub-type of the Influenza A virus in the state.

The Director of MP Animal Husbandry Department Dr RK Rokade has said that the bird flu spread is restricted to crows in the state so far and has not been detected in poultry such as chicken.

In Mandsaur alone 100 crows have died of the avian influenza. Additionally, between December 23, 2020 and January 3, 2021, 142 crows died of avian influenza in Indore, 112 in Agar-Malwa, 13 in Khargone, and nine in Sehore. The districts of Dewas, Ujjain, Neemuch, and Guna have also reported crow deaths from bird flu.

Madhya Pradesh Animal Husbandry Minister Prem Singh Patel has informed that a rapid response team is setting up a control room in Indore to track the spread of the bird flu. Meanwhile, a bird flu alert has already been sounded by the authorities.

The avian flu has also been detected in other states, namely, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Rajasthan. Several birds have been found dead in Gujarat also, but authorities are yet to ascertain if they were carrying the H5N8 virus infection.