Chennai: While hundreds of thousands of birds are being culled to curtail the avian influenza, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, wrote to States and UTs, requesting them to take possible precautions to prevent the transmission of diseases, if any, in other animals or birds and human beings. States have been requested to report cases of wildlife mortality to the Ministry.
It also advised states/UTs to collaborate with the State Veterinary Departments in the collection of samples of migratory birds and to keep proper vigil. Dead birds should be handled with utmost caution and scientific supervision.
All deaths of migratory birds, whatever be the number and cause, should be reported to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change immediately. The local veterinary department should be contacted immediately for collection and dispatch of samples, as per procedure, for testing. The report of the testing to be sent to MoEFCC immediately.
Press reports be given judiciously to prevent undue panic and which may lead to the unwarranted killing of migratory birds.
Intensive surveillance should be undertaken to look for any unreasonable bird behaviours or death amongst wild birds as well as migratory birds, it said.