Alappuzha: Around 20,471 poultry birds will be culled in Kerala's Alappuzha district following a report that the recent death of ducks at Haripad here was on account of avian influenza.

Avian influenza, also known as bird flu, was detected in chickens from two poultry farms at Vazhuthanam West and Vazhuthanam North in the 9th ward of Haripad municipality.

The presence of the H5N1 virus was detected in the samples during tests at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), Bhopal.

It is estimated that over 1,500 ducks have died so far in the region.

District Collector VR Krishna Teja chaired an emergency meeting on Wednesday to decide on urgent preventive measures, including the culling of domestic birds.

Poultry birds within a one-kilometer radius of the infected area will be culled as per government orders.

Eight rapid response teams have been rushed to the area. The authorities of Haripad municipality and Pallippad gram panchayat have been tasked with providing the necessary facilities for the culling.

The transportation of domestic birds in and out of this one-kilometer radius is prohibited. Police and revenue department officials have been assigned to monitor this.

The Collector also urged the Health Department to strengthen precautionary measures to prevent bird flu from spreading to humans.

Meanwhile, it was concluded by the animal welfare department that bird flu is not responsible for the few ducks that died near Nedumudi in Kuttanad.

In India, bird flu or avian influenza is spread mainly by migratory birds coming into the country during the winter months between September and March. The disease is zoonotic.