No bird flu in Karnataka: Dr K Sudhakar

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], January 10 (ANI): As bird flu has been confirmed in seven states, Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar has said that there is no case of bird flu in the state.
"There is no bird flu case in Karnataka," Dr Sudhakar told ANI.
A chicken vendor, however, said that his poultry business has come down to 25-30 per cent in the wake of the news of bird flu across the country.
"What business will be done when it is being reported that Avian influenza, popularly known as bird flu, has spread in the country. Some people name chicken, duck and crows as being affected by bird flu. Business is running at 25-30 per cent," Chicken vendor Mohammed Mustafa said.
"At the last moment, everything comes on chicken. Farmers lower the rates and the public start consuming less. People ask that is there any disease affecting the chicken and those who used to buy two to three kgs end up buying only half a kg. Business is badly affected in this environment," he added.
Earlier yesterday, the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry, and Dairying in a release said that the states which have so far reported cases of avian influenza include Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh.
The ministry said that reports of "unusual mortality" of birds have been received from Chhattisgarh on the night of January 8 and the morning of January 9 in poultry and wild birds in Balod district.
The State has constituted rapid response teams for emergency situations and also sent the samples to the designated laboratory, the release said.
Further, reports of unusual mortality in ducks have also been received from Sanjay Lake, Delhi. Samples have been sent to the designated laboratory for testing. Samples of dead crows have also been sent to National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) from Mumbai, Thane, Dapoli, Parbhani and Beed districts of Maharashtra for confirmation of avian influenza.
As per a statement from the Punjab government, a complete ban has also been imposed on the import of live birds including poultry and unprocessed poultry meat into the state till January 15. (ANI)