Bird flu virus spotted in Bengaluru, Maharashtra border on alert

The state machinery is on alert for bird flu after poultry was detected with the avian influenza virus in Bengaluru. The Maharashtra public health and animal husbandry departments have stepped up surveillance in border districts and cities like Pune which have links with Karnataka's capital due to the presence of IT and ITES sectors. However officials urged that there was no need for alarm and added that samples of birds taken in the state had tested negative for the virus.

"A bird flu outbreak was reported in urban Bengaluru on December 29. We have asked our machinery to be on guard in border districts like Kolhapur, Solapur, Latur and Osmanabad and surveillance is also underway. After the 2006 outbreak, we have learned a lot and guidelines are issued annually to stay prepared for the disease," said a senior official from the state animal husbandry department. He added that while over 7,000 samples from domestic poultry and other birds were taken, 5,000 had tested negative for the avian influenza virus.

"We are co-ordinating with the animal husbandry department. But for now there is no risk to Maharashtra as the area in which the virus has been isolated does not border our state. Even then, we have kept our surveillance system on alert in the border districts and cities like Pune which have linkages with Bengaluru due to the IT sector," said Dr Pradeep Awate, state surveillance officer of the public health department.