Patna: The authorities in Patna have declared a bird flu outbreak in the state capital days before Holi, after more than 4,500 chickens at a government-run poultry centre tested positive for the H5N1 strain of avian influenza.
Officials said 4,575 chickens and roosters at the Poultry Research and Training Center in Chitkohra’s Kaushal Nagar were culled on Friday after laboratory tests confirmed infection. The centre operates under Bihar Animal Sciences University.
A one-kilometre radius around Kaushal Nagar-Chitkohra has been declared an infected zone, with intensive sanitisation carried out throughout the day. A further nine-kilometre radius has been designated a surveillance zone, where heightened monitoring is under way.
Among the premises sanitised as a precaution were the residences of several senior officials and politicians, including the leader of the opposition, Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, and the state’s chief secretary, Pratyaya Amrit. The infected zone also encompasses the Sanjay Gandhi Biological Park, a popular zoo in the city.
Arun Kumar, the district animal husbandry officer, has written to the director recommending that public entry to the affected poultry centre be barred for seven days. Authorities cited the area’s dense population, the presence of multiple VIP residences and its proximity to the airport as reasons for heightened caution.
The outbreak follows earlier reports of avian influenza among crows in the PC Colony area of Kankarbagh, where several birds tested positive last week. The PC Colony J-Sector Park was subsequently closed and the area sanitised. Crow deaths linked to suspected bird flu have also been reported in other parts of the district, including near the High Court, IGIMS and Sampatchak.
Samples from the Chitkohra poultry centre were sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal, a premier laboratory under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. After the H5N1 infection was confirmed, a rapid response team was formed in line with the Government of India’s standard operating procedures. In addition to culling poultry, officials destroyed 9,662 eggs and 530kg of poultry feed.
Animal health experts say migratory birds can act as carriers of the virus during winter. Infected birds often die near water bodies, including along the Ganges, and crows, which feed on carcasses, may then spread the disease further by moving between neighbourhoods.
Officials have recommended that the zoo remain closed to reduce the risk of transmission through contact with bird droppings. Zoo authorities, however, said no infection had yet been confirmed among animals there, though preventive measures had been tightened.
The outbreak has raised concerns among poultry traders ahead of the Holi festival, traditionally a period of high consumption. However, Kumar said there was no risk to consumers if poultry products were cooked thoroughly at temperatures between 70C and 75C, at which the virus is destroyed.
