Officials asked to keep vigil at 116 poultry farms

Vijayawada: NTR district collector G Lakshmisha has instructed the officials to continue the buffer zone around Anumallanka village of Gampalagudem in the backdrop of outbreak of Bird Flu and death of over 7,000 chickens.

He further instructed that chicken and eggs should not be sold in the buffer zone area till further orders are given. He asked the officials to continue the precautionary measures in 35 villages located in the buffer zone in the radius of eight kilometres to check the spread of Avian influenza.

Collector on Monday conducted a review meeting with the officials of animal husbandry, revenue, Panchayat Raj, medical and health and other departments and enquired about the ground level conditions at Anumallanka village.

The officials have informed the collector that the National High-Security Disease Diagnosis Laboratory in Bhopal has confirmed that chicken died due to Bird Flu at Anumallanka village. They said the lab reports confirmed that avian influenza had affected the chicken. They informed that the department responded immediately after the outbreak and declared a red zone in the radius of one kilometre.

Collector asked the officials to ensure sanitation and spraying of chemicals in the villages. He instructed the officials to keep vigil at 116 poultry farms and ensure 24x7 supervision. Lakshmisha has asked the officials to inform the higher authorities, if they detect new cases.

NTR district Joint Director of animal husbandry department Dr M Hanumantha Rao, District Medical and Health Officer Dr M Suhasini, District Panchayat Officer P Lavanya Kumari, Forest Range officer P Raju and others were present.