TN steps up vigil in border areas following bird flu cases in Kerala

Chennai, April 22: Tamil Nadu government has stepped up the vigil in the border areas after more cases of bird flu were reported from neighbouring Kerala.

On Sunday, around 25,000 ducks were culled after confirmation of H1N1 virus from a few more places in the Alappuzha district.

The Tamil Nadu government has already tightened the checking in areas bordering Kerala in Coimbatore after bird flu was reported from Kerala on Friday.

An official said that check posts have been erected at 12 places including Anakatti, Walayar and Gopalapuram in the Coimbatore region while 10 more checkpoints have been installed in the Theni region bordering Kerala as well as in Nagercoil areas in south Tamil Nadu.

He said that each check-post is manned by 12 policemen, a veterinary doctor and three para-medics of the Tamil Nadu Veterinary Department.

The government has also instructed all chicken farms and hatcheries to be on a vigil and inform the department if any domesticated birds show signs of bird flu or sudden health issues.

A senior official of the Tamil Nadu Animal Husbandry Department told IANS: “We have stepped up vigil against bird flu. We will continue it for a few more days until the disease in Kerala is over.”