Admin sounds alert after dead birds in Srinagar test positive for avian flu

Srinagar: The threat of bird flu has exacerbated in Kashmir as the Srinagar district administration Monday announced that the samples of dead crows found at two locations in the summer capital have returned positive for avian influenza.

Bhopial based, ‘The National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD)’ have dispatched a report in which samples of the dead crows from Srinagar have been tested positive for Avian Influenza-H5N8 strain.

Srinagar Administration shortly after receiving the report has sounded an alert in the areas where from the samples of these dead crows were lifted and subsequently had been sent to ICAR-NISHAD Bhopal.

“Samples from dead crows lifted near the Delhi Public School at Athwajan and the Flood Spill Channel at Peerbagh have tested positive for avian influenza – H5N8 strain- as per a report received from the ICAR-NISHAD Bhopal,” Srinagar Administration tweeted on its official handle on Monday.

It said that in accordance with the stipulated guidelines, a 10-kilometre radius area around each of the said locations has been declared as alert zone – where among other measures surveillance and sampling will be conducted to ascertain and prevent the spread.

H5N8 is a subtype of the Influenza A virus and is sometimes called bird flu virus.

Although H5N8 is considered one of the less pathogenic subtypes for humans, it is beginning to become more pathogenic.

H5N8 has previously been used in place of the highly pathogenic H1N1 in studies.

Dead birds have been found in several areas of Kashmir in the last few weeks.