With 560 crows having been found dead in several States on Thursday, the Centre has asked States to be prepared for any eventuality of Avian Influenza and to ensure sufficient stock of PPE kits and accessories required for culling operations.

Panic gripped in the poultry traders sector across the country with prices plunging below the cost of production due to apprehension among consumers. Egg prices in Mumbai have dropped to Rs 5.45 from Rs 5.65 since the last two days, while in Delhi they have slipped to Rs 5.55 per egg from Rs 6.00 on January 2 and Rs 5.65 on January 4. Prices of live bird also dropped by Rs 20-30 per kg at farmgate.

Taking note of the panic among the poultry traders, the Ministry of Animal Husbandry on Thursday directed states to quell consumer reactions, affected by rumors and increase awareness regarding safety of poultry or poultry products that were safe for consumption following boiling / cooking procedures. According to meat and poultry vendors, traders are picking up less stock due to the sudden drop in the demand. According to the Ministry of Animal Husbandry, confirmed cases have been found in four states-Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh so far.

On Thursday, as many as  381 crows have been found dead in Himachal Pradesh's Pong wildlife sanctuary,150 in Jammu's Udhampur district, nine in Uttar Pradesh, six each in Karnataka and in Uttarakhand,  four in Gujarat’s Mehsana district and two in Madhya Pradesh. According to officials, their carcasses have been sent to a laboratory to check if they died due to bird flu or some other reason.

The ministry has suggested measures to states/UTs for control, containment and prevention of spread of the disease. “Besides increasing surveillance around water bodies, live bird markets, zoos and poultry farms. Proper disposal of carcass and strengthening of bio-security in poultry farms may be ensured,” the ministry said.

Meanwhile a three-member central team comprising Union Health Ministry's public health specialist Dr. Ruchi Jain, Pune National Institute of Virology scientist Dr. Shailesh Pawar and Delhi RML Hospital physician Dr. Anith Jindal visited Kerala’s Alappuzha and Kottayam districts to held discussions with district authorities at their collectorate.  The central team will also visit Haryana and Himachal Pradesh to assess the situation.

The number of dead migratory birds at the Himachal Pradesh's Pong wildlife sanctuary in Kangra district has reached 3,409 as 381 more were found dead on Thursday. Meanwhile, officials said 64 crows have also been found dead in the past a few days in areas near the Pong wetland.

In Delhi, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has said  that there is no case of bird flu in the national Capital yet and asked officials to keep close watch on poultry birds coming in from neighbouring states to prevent any

infection.

According to the ministry of animal husbandry, nine crows were found dead in Uttar Pradesh's Sonbhadra district, but officials said it seems like the birds died due to cold. The deaths were reported on Wednesday evening from the Dala area of the district and samples have been sent to a lab in Bhopal for testing. It appears that the crows died due to cold, officials of UP said.

In Karnataka, six crows have died in the border district of Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka and their samples had been sent for tests to ascertain the cause of death. According to state health minister Dr K Sudhakar, the authorities have been maintaining a strict vigil in the border districts including Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar.

Four crows were found dead in Gujarat's Mehsana district on Thursday.

The crows were found dead in the premises of the famous Sun Temple in Modhera village of Mehsana.

The Centre on Wednesday had said that avian influenza or bird flu outbreak has been reported at 12 epicentres in Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh, while Haryana is on high alert due to unusual mortality at poultry farms in Panchkula.