Tamil Nadu: H5N1 bird flu confirmed in Cuddalore after 35,647 bird deaths

New Delhi: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (H5N1), commonly known as bird flu, has been confirmed in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu after 35,647 birds died in the affected area. The Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services Department has launched containment measures to prevent the virus from spreading further.

The confirmation came from a poultry farm in Kattiyankuppam village in Kurinjipadi taluk. According to the district administration, the first bird deaths were reported on October 30 at a poultry farm in Thamanampatti village under Thiyagavalli panchayat.

Veterinary teams visited the farm after the deaths were reported and collected samples for testing. Samples were examined at the Poultry Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (PDDL) in Namakkal while further testing was carried out at laboratories in Erode and Madhavaram, Chennai.

H5N1 confirmed by NIHSAD Bhopal

A carcass sample sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) in Bhopal confirmed the presence of H5N1. District Collector Sibi Adhithya Senthil Kumar said the confirmation was received on November 13.

“As many as 35,647 bird deaths were recorded in the affected belt till November 13, since the first case of sudden mortality was reported from a farm at Thamanampatti village in Thiyagavalli Panchayat on October 30,” the Collector told The Hindu.

The district has been divided into compartments as part of the containment plan. Authorities have also restricted the movement of poultry to and from the affected farms.

Culling and disinfection underway

Nine Rapid Response Teams have been deployed for the containment operation. Officials said 15 farms have been affected, with birds already culled at 10 of them. So far, 1,550 birds have been humanely culled, while the remaining birds within the affected area are also being removed in line with the 2021 Government of India guidelines.

The department is carrying out deep burial of carcasses in designated pits along with bleaching and other biosecurity measures. Farms in and around the affected area are under surveillance, while cleaning, disinfection and fumigation operations are underway.

VIRKON-S has also been administered orally to live birds and used as a disinfectant spray at farms. Poultry farmers have been asked to cooperate with the containment teams while movement restrictions remain in place around the affected farms.

The district administration has said the outbreak remains confined to the designated Cuddalore compartment with no confirmed cases reported from neighbouring areas. Awareness pamphlets are being distributed across the district, and residents have been advised to report any unusual bird deaths to the nearest veterinary institution. Poultry farm owners have also been instructed not to restock birds for three months as part of the precautionary measures.