Crow deaths reported from Patna and Bhagalpur districts in Bihar have raised concerns over a possible spread of H5N1 avian influenza, prompting the Bihar government to intensify containment, surveillance and biosecurity measures across five affected districts, officials said on Sunday.
Authorities have collected fresh samples from areas around the Patna high court, the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS), AG Colony and Mokama in Patna district, and Sultanganj in Bhagalpur district.
“We have sent fresh samples for testing to the Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in Kolkata on February 19 after about 68 crow deaths were reported between February 16 and 18 in different localities of Patna and Bhagalpur,” said Shirsat Kapil Ashok, secretary of the state animal husbandry and fisheries department.
Samples collected from AG Colony and IGIMS have tested negative for the H5N1 virus, while reports from other areas of Patna are awaited, Ashok said.
The state has so far confirmed 366 crow deaths due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus since January 28. The fatalities were reported from Darbhanga (200), Bhagalpur (70), Katihar (62), Patna (22) and Bettiah in West Champaran district (12), Ashok added.
Samples were initially examined at the RDDL in Kolkata and later sent to the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases, Bhopal, for confirmatory testing before the outbreak in crows was officially declared.
The state government has stepped up sanitisation and surveillance measures in all affected areas.
“Antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment and disinfectants — including sodium hypochlorite and glutaraldehyde, both recognised virucidal agents against avian influenza — have been supplied to all 38 districts. We are alert in case of poultry,” Ashok said.
Dr Deepak Kumar, research officer at the Institute of Animal Health and Production (IAHP), said intensive containment measures were underway on the ground. “We have fumigated areas within a 1-km radius of the epicentre of crow deaths and strengthened biosecurity measures. Trees are being pruned to discourage migratory birds from roosting, and people have been advised to avoid unnecessary movement in affected localities,” he said.
Dr Kumar attributed the spread of the virus to migratory birds, which typically arrive in Bihar between October and March.
“Migratory birds are carriers of the H5N1 virus. Crows often come in close contact with them and even feed together, facilitating transmission,” he said.
According to officials, nine outbreaks of H5N1 have been recorded in seven districts between April last year and February this year. In April, cases were reported from Bailey Road and Marcha Mirchi Road in Patna City, as well as from municipal areas of Bhojpur and Taraiya in Saran district.
Experts said bird flu is a zoonotic disease that can spread from birds to animals, but no human infection has been reported in India so far.
“Our effective control mechanism reduces exposure time, which lowers the probability of mutation and wider spread. Though precaution is required, there is nothing to panic about,” Dr Kumar added.
