Thiruvananthapuram: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said the state government would seriously consider setting up a hi-tech laboratory to test bird flu as the state was witnessing frequent outbreaks. Mr Vijayan while replying to a submission by Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said the issue was serious as most of the people who grow ducks belonged to a very poor background and it was their only means of livelihood.
Forest and animal husbandry minister K. Raju said that the H5N8 among ducks in Kuttanad in Alappuzha district, however, would not spread to humans. The outbreak was confirmed after tests of samples at the National Institute of High-Security Animal Diseases in Bhopal. He said the preliminary examination of the samples confirmed the disease. However, only 1,500 infected ducks had been culled.
More than two-months-old ducks killed would be given Rs 200 and below that Rs 100. For destroyed egg a compensation of Rs 5 would be given, the minister said. Mr Chennithala while taking up the issue urged the government to take effective steps to check its further spread, as it was feared to have spotted in neighbouring Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts as well.
