Kerala Confirms H5N1 in Kozhikode and Alappuzha With Culling Set for March 21

Overview

• Laboratory tests confirmed H5N1 in Kozhikode’s Panangad, Olavanna, Kakkodi and Perumanna panchayats and the Nallalam area, and in Ward 7 of Muhamma in Alappuzha.
• Kozhikode will begin culling 14,228 domestic birds on March 21 within a one‑kilometre radius of outbreak epicentres, with four rapid response teams deployed and a 10‑km ban on bird sale and transport.
• Alappuzha authorities scheduled the culling of 5,961 domestic birds from the morning of March 21 and have deployed rapid response teams to execute containment.
• Emergency review meetings led by Collectors Snehil Kumar Singh in Kozhikode and Inbasekar Kalimuthu in Alappuzha set preventive measures in line with India’s 2021 avian influenza action plan.
• Public guidance urges reporting of unusual bird deaths, use of masks and gloves for handlers, deep burial and disinfection of carcasses, and strict farm biosecurity, with vigilance requested across affected zones.