(ETH) -Authorities in Rajasthan’s Jhalawar town in India have reportedly imposed a curfew in a one-km radius after it was confirmed that at least 50 crows had died of bird flu while crows have also been reported dying from Jodhpur.
According to the Hindustan Times, The Jhalawar District collector Ngikya Gohain has instructed the Commissioner, Jhalawar Municipal Council to sanitize the area impacted and have closed poultry and eggs shops after the curfew was imposed on Wednesday evening. Following the death of over 50 crows in the Radi ke balaji temple in Jhalawar town on December 25th, a joint team of wildlife department and animal husbandry department had inspected the area and sent the samples to the National High-Security Animal Disease Laboratory (NHSADL) in Anand Nagar, Bhopal for testing.
The carcasses of the crows were seen in Choupasani housing board society area and other areas. Sambhar Lake near Jaipur had witnessed reported deaths of around 18,000 birds in November-December last year due to avian botulism, a fatal illness that affects the nerves. “Avian influenza (Bird flu) has been found to be the cause of the death of the crows,” District Collector, Jhalawar, Ngikya Gohain said.
“We have imposed zero mobility zone in one-km area around Radi ke balaji temple from Wednesday evening till further orders in view of public health. We have also invoked Section 144 of the CrPC to maintain peace,” he said. Authorities have put together a task force including the Deputy Conservator, Sub-divisional magistrate, Deputy SP, Joint Director, Animal Husbandry department, Chief Medical and Health Officer and Commissioner, Jhalawar Municipal Council. “Bird flu can also spread to humans and animals so efforts are being done to check the spread of this disease,” Chief Medical and Health Officer, Jhalawar, Dr. Sajid Khan said.
