Culling of poultry birds going on in Kerala

The Kerala government has deployed 75 teams to cull poultry birds in villages hit by outbreak of H5N1 or bird flu virus, a minister said Friday.

After a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to assess the situation, Minister of State for Health V.S. Sivakumar told reporters that the culling process would be over in next two-three days.

"In the affected 12 villages in three districts of Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam, in one-kilometre radius of these villages, each and every bird, including ducks and hens, are being culled," said Sivakumar.

"Special teams are now collecting the carcasses of ducks that are floating in water bodies," he added

Sivakumar said compensation to the duck farmers would be given out from Friday.

"All the preventive steps are being taken. Health officials have in the past few days covered 15,000 families living in these affected village councils and have found things are fine."

"Close to three lakh tablets are being stocked and separate isolation wards as prescribed by the WHO are being readied at the Alappuzha Medical College," said the minister.

A central government team is also in the state and giving all the necessary directions to the state government.

Control rooms have now been opened in all the 14 districts and health officials are engaged in an awareness campaign and distributing leaflets to the people.