Duck Farmers Receives Rs 3.01 Cr Compensation From Government

The state government has granted Rs 3.01 crore in compensation to 65 duck farmers who have sustained losses as a result of the district's recent bird flu outbreak.

On Saturday, Animal Husbandry Minister J. Chinchurani inaugurated the compensation distribution at the parish hall of Karichal St. George Orthodox Church.

Several duck farmers in Kuttanad have lost a lot of money owing to avian flu, according to Chinchurani. "As soon as the bird flu outbreak was discovered, the state administration and the respective local self-government organisations moved quickly." It aided in the control of the disease's spread. The government was able to give compensation in a timely way, according to the Minister.

In Alappuzha, avian flu (H5N1) has been reported in eight grama panchayats. On December 8, 2021, the outbreak was first discovered in ducks in Kunnumma South (ward 10) in Thakazhy grama panchayat.

On December 14, the outbreak was confirmed in Nedumudi and Karuvatta. It was followed by cases in the grama panchayats of Purakkad, Cheruthana, Ambalapuzha North, Pallippad, and Veeyapuram.

Following the outbreak, 1,11,217 ducks perished or were culled. In addition, as part of the containment procedures, 41,959 eggs and 10,902 kg of feed were destroyed.

What is Bird Flu?

Bird flu, also known as Avian Flu, is a kind of influenza that is spread through the air and affects birds. It can spread to people in rare circumstances, and if this happens, it can lead to person-to-person transmission (it’s Anthroprozoonotic in nature i.e capable of spreading from animals to humans), according to specialists.

There are several strains of the virus, with H7N9 being the most hazardous, according to the researchers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the avian influenza virus has several subtypes, only some of which are hazardous to humans.