Overview
- India’s reference lab confirmed H5N1 in samples from the Palawala, Sakisma and Ashraf farms, prompting fresh containment rings and a new round of culling in Navapur.
- Officials say the expanded operation could push total culling past 400,000 birds after new clusters emerged near the first confirmed site in the Nandurbar district.
- By May 6, authorities had culled 202,513 chickens, destroyed 888,240 eggs and disposed of 22.77 metric tonnes of feed, with 19 farms now affected and nearly 30 villages swept into control zones.
- Response steps include culling within 1 km of infected farms, a 3 km containment zone, door‑to‑door checks of backyard flocks with about 30,000 birds targeted, and 25 rapid‑response teams on Tamiflu and protective gear.
- Experts say H5N1 is showing greater adaptation in mammals even as human infections remain rare and sustained person‑to‑person spread has not been confirmed; India does not permit H5N1 vaccination for poultry, making this the third Navapur outbreak after 2006 and 2021.