Saturday 21/March/2026 – 06:31 PM
Authorities in southern India have ordered the culling of more than 20,000 birds after a bird flu outbreak in Kerala, according to Xinhua.
Avian influenza in India
The measures are in place in Kozhikode and Alappuzha districts, where cases of the disease have been confirmed, while officials confirmed that about 14,228 birds in Kozhikode and 5,961 in Alappuzha will be culled as part of efforts to contain the spread.
Spread of bird flu
The outbreak was confirmed after samples tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza at the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal.
Eradication operations are scheduled to begin on Saturday, with rapid response teams working within a one-kilometre radius of the affected areas.
Authorities said the virus had so far only been detected in birds, but urged the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual bird deaths.
Avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, can spread quickly among poultry and has prompted repeated containment measures in several regions in recent years.
Health authorities in California revealed a worrying development in the course of the bird flu outbreak, after monitoring the transmission of the virus to two new species of marine mammals for the first time, which raised scientific concerns about the possibility of it mutating and increasing its ability to spread.
According to what was published by the British newspaper Daily Mail, officials in San Mateo County, near San Francisco, confirmed that injuries had been recorded in both a California sea lion and a southern sea otter, in a first of its kind in the state.
