Bird Flu Outbreak: Health Dept Intensifies Surveillance, Continues Culling Ops

Pipili:26/8/24: Officials from the Odisha Veterinary and Health Department have escalated their efforts, including the culling of poultry, following the detection of the H5N1 avian influenza strain in the Pipili region of Puri district, Odisha.

On Monday, senior health officials announced that surveillance has been stepped up, along with the implementation of preventive actions to curb the spread to other areas. The culling operation in Pipili has entered its third day.

State Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) were deployed after a poultry farm in Pipili reported numerous chicken fatalities. A veterinary squad collected samples and dispatched them for analysis. To date, over 19,000 chickens have been culled in the Pipili and Satyabadi zones of Puri district.

Health Director Bijay Mohapatra stated today that bird flu is a known issue and that preventive steps have been taken in collaboration with the veterinary department and other involved parties.

“The goal is to decontaminate the affected zone, and this process is underway. Given the viral nature of the infection, our focus is on its detection through ongoing surveillance,” Mohapatra explained.