Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 25: Kerala has stepped up surveillance and containment measures after highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1) was detected in parts of Kottayam and Alappuzha districts, prompting the Health Department to issue fresh guidelines to prevent transmission to humans, officials said.
The presence of the virus was confirmed through tests conducted at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal, Animal Husbandry officials said. The infection has been detected in one ward each of eight panchayats in Alappuzha and in four villages in Kottayam.
Following the detection, the Kerala Health Department convened a meeting of the State Level Rapid Response Team (RRT), which reviewed the situation and ordered heightened field-level surveillance. District-level control rooms have been opened to coordinate response activities in the affected areas.
Health Minister Veena George said no human cases of bird flu have been reported in the state so far, but stressed the need for strict precautions. “While bird flu has not affected humans in Kerala so far, strict precautions are necessary,” she said.
Officials said special monitoring is underway for symptoms such as fever, severe body aches, cough and shortness of breath in affected areas. People arriving with such symptoms are being monitored separately as a precaution. Authorities have also been directed to ensure the availability of medicines and personal protective equipment (PPE) in government health facilities.
The Health Department has advised the public not to handle dead or infected birds and to consume only well-cooked meat and eggs, warning that raw or undercooked meat should not be consumed under any circumstances. “Those working with raw meat or bird droppings are at higher risk and must use masks and gloves,” the advisory said.
As part of containment measures, unnatural bird deaths must be reported immediately to the Animal Husbandry Department, officials said. Although bird flu has been reported in mammals abroad, no such infections have been detected in Kerala so far, they added, while urging that sudden mammal deaths also be reported. Dead birds, eggs and droppings are to be buried or burned to prevent further spread.
The outbreak has dealt a major blow to poultry farmers ahead of the Christmas–New Year season. Authorities are planning the culling of all domestic birds, including ducks, within a one-kilometre radius of the affected locations.
Officials have also been instructed to strengthen community awareness through trained One Health Community Volunteers, urging people in close contact with poultry to remain vigilant. Symptoms of avian influenza in birds include excessive feather loss, reduced egg-laying, thin-shelled eggs, sluggishness, diarrhoea, nasal bleeding, swollen eyelids, breathing difficulty and bleeding spots on the body, officials said.
“Special monitoring for fever, severe body aches, cough and shortness of breath is underway in affected areas,” the Health Department said.
