Mumbai: After coronavirus created havoc in India, the cases of bird flu has now surged in 13 states of the country, the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying confirmed on Saturday.

As on Saturday, outbreaks of Avian Influenza (Bird flu) have been confirmed in nine states (Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab) for poultry birds and in 12 States (Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab) for crow, migratory, wild birds, said the ministry in a statement.

However, crow, pigeon samples submitted from Rudraprayag, Lansdowne Forest Range and Paudi Forest Range of Uttarakhand; pigeon samples from Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan; crow and peacock samples from Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh have been found negative for Avian Influenza, the statement added.

Control and Containment Operations (Cleaning and Disinfection) are going on in the affected epicentres of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Kerala.

Compensation is paid to the farmers whose poultry birds, eggs and poultry feed are culled/disposed of by the state as per the action plan. The Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) provides funds to states/UTs on a 50:50 sharing basis under ASCAD component of its LH & DC Scheme, said the ministry.

All the states are reporting to the department on a daily basis regarding the control measures adopted by them based on the Revised Action Plan for Prevention, Control and Containment of Avian Influenza 2021, said the statement.

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