Overview
- Lab results confirmed highly pathogenic H5N1 in poultry at Navapur in Maharashtra and in 44 dead peacocks in Tumakuru, Karnataka, prompting immediate containment measures around the affected sites.
- Maharashtra ordered the destruction of about 1.4–1.5 lakh chickens in Navapur, with culling planned over five days across seven farms within one kilometre of the index farm and disposal of thousands of eggs under biosecurity rules.
- Karnataka declared infected zones within 0–3 km and surveillance out to 10 km after peacock deaths that occurred between April 16 and 24, placed 33 villages on alert, and deployed multi‑department teams for field checks and disinfection.
- No human infections have been reported, and health departments increased monitoring for fever and respiratory illness, stocked PPE and the antiviral oseltamivir, and began door‑to‑door surveillance covering more than 20,000 people in affected Karnataka villages.
- Navapur’s poultry belt has faced bird flu before in 2006 and 2021, and officials say this third outbreak is straining farmers through movement bans, mass culls, and expected compensation assessments.