Bird flu in two districts of Kerala; Ducks and chickens to be culled en masse 

ALAPPUZHA: Birds in areas where bird flu has been confirmed in the state will be culled en masse. About twenty thousand birds in Alappuzha will be culled. Bird flu has been presently confirmed in Alappuzha and Kottayam. The district administration also informed that precautions have been taken to prevent the infection from spreading to more places.

Chickens in Nedumudi, Alappuzha are infected with the disease, and ducks in Cheruthana, Karuvatta, Karthikappally, Ambalappuzha South, Punnapra South, Thakazhi and Purakkad. Quails in Kurupunthara and Manjoor in Kottayam and chickens in Kallupurackal and Vellore are infected with the disease. It is assessed that the arrival of migratory birds is the reason for the spread of the infection.

Avian influenza (H5N1) was confirmed in a sample test conducted at the lab in Bhopal. In Alappuzha alone, 19,811 birds will be killed. Birds will be killed within a radius of one kilometer of the confirmed areas. This will include chickens, ducks and quails.

Those who farmed chickens and ducks for the Christmas market have been hit hardly. Alappuzha had been bird flu-free for about a year. In 2024, 38 bird flu outbreaks were found in the state in Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta and Kottayam. Of these, 30 were in Alappuzha. A ban was imposed on raising and selling birds from September 2024 to December 31. The ban was extended but was withdrawn in March 2025. The center had also issued a notification declaring the state bird flu-free after it was confirmed that the virus that causes bird flu was no longer present.